Download 19. Atmosphere and climate change

Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2014
19. Atmosphere and climate change
Rapid economic growth and changing production pattern in the region are
causing heightened levels of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions
Emissions scenarios leading to greenhouse
gases (GHG) concentrations in 2100 of about
450 ppm CO2 equivalent or lower are likely to
maintain global warming below 2°C over the
21st century relative to pre-industrial levels.1
The 2°C increase is generally regarded as the
ceiling above which global warming could cause
serious
consequences.
Global
GHG
concentrations reached 395.6 ppm in 2013,
having risen at an annual rate of 2 ppm over the
last decade.2
During the period between 1990 and 2010, the
Asia-Pacific region was responsible for more
than half of total global GHG emissions (52%).
More than half of these emissions from within
Asia-Pacific are coming from East and NorthEast Asia. In per capita terms, however, GHG
emissions in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole
are lower than the world average. In the first
decade of this century, GHG emissions grew at
an annual rate of 4.1%, nearly double the global
rate (2.2%). This increase reflects the rapid
economic development of the region, since the
major source of GHG emissions is the
combustion of fossil fuels for electricity
generation, transport, industrial and residential
uses.
GHG intensity is defined as GHG emissions
per unit of economic production. It is
expressed in tons of CO2 equivalent per $1,000
of GDP. In the Asia-Pacific region in 2010 the
ratio was 1.2 compared with the global average
of 0.8. It was significantly higher in low-income
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economies (4.3) than in high-income ones (0.5),
reflecting the use of fossil fuel-intensive older
production technology in the former, and
technology gap between the low- and highincome economies.
Despite high GHG intensity in the region, the
rate of reduction in GHG intensity since 1990
has been the same as the global average and
also that of the United States of America, but
slower than that of Europe. On a per capita
basis, in 2010, the Asia-Pacific region’s GHG
stood at 6.1 tons of CO2-equivalent,
significantly lower than North America (21.5)
or Europe (9.9).
Compared to CO2 emissions, methane (CH4)
and nitrous oxide (N2O) are potent GHGs, as
measured by IPCC according to global warming
potential (GWP). While CO2 emissions broadly
correlate with energy use, the main sources of
CH4 and N2O are agriculture, forestry and
associated changes in land use. The Asia-Pacific
region contributes 50% of global GHG
emissions from the agricultural sector, a figure
that has remained stable since 1990.
The region also faces numerous other
challenges in terms of atmospheric pollutants.
Despite a considerable reduction since 1990,
the region still accounted for over 70% of the
world’s ozone depleting product (ODP)
emissions in 2012. Moreover, the region’s
average concentration of particulate matter in
urban areas is the highest in the world, at 76.5
micrograms per cubic metre in 2011.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for over half of all global GHG emissions in 2010, thus
contributing significantly to the annual rise of 2 ppm in GHG concentrations. East and
North-East Asia subregion contributes the largest share of annual emissions from within the
region.1 2
In 2010, GHG emissions per capita were 3.5 times lower in Asia and the Pacific than in North
America. However, per capita rates of GHG emissions in the Pacific and in North and Central
Asia subregions are nearly as high as North America.
Despite a considerable reduction since 1990, the region still accounted for over 70% of global
ODP emissions in 2012.
The region has the highest concentration of particulate matter (dust) in urban areas.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Climate change 2014 synthesis report” (2014), IPCC 5th Assessment report. Available from
www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_SPM.pdf.
2
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory website: www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/global.html.
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