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Most carbon emissions from human activity come from industrialised countries, whose economies rely on manufacturing and transport powered largely by fossil fuels.

The United States, home to fewer than 1 in every 20 people in the world, is responsible for about a fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Europe accounts for 15 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, working out at around 9.3 tonnes per person per year. That’s enough to fill two Olympic swimming pools for every person in Europe.

China became the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2006. But China’s emissions per person are less than those of the United States: in 2003 the average American emitted nearly six times as much carbon dioxide as the average person in China.

Across the world average emissions were 3.7 tonnes per person in 2003. But in some African countries, such as Mali and Burundi, they were less than 0.1 tonnes per person.

Comparative worldwide emissions (2003)

NB: Includes international aviation and shipping, excludes land use change. Source: World Resources Institute

A country’s greenhouse gas emissions depend on the size of its economy, the types of industry it has and the kinds of energy it uses. Demand for heating and air conditioning are also key factors: rich countries with hot summers use lots of energy for air-conditioning; cold countries use more for heating.

China has become a major emitter of greenhouse gases only in the past 20 years while the United States and the UK have been pumping out carbon dioxide throughout the past century. And it is the total quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is driving global warming, not just the annual amount added to this total. So it’s the developed countries that are mostly responsible for the problem.