An Australian report released on Tuesday stated that global warming is progressing at a faster rate than previously anticipated due to increased greenhouse gas emissions since 2000. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) reported that emissions from burning fossil fuels have been rising by approximately 3 percent annually since 2000, compared to 1 percent per year in the 1990s. According to CSIRO scientist Mike Raupach, the accelerated growth in emissions is primarily due to the fact that more carbon is being burned for each unit of wealth generated globally. This has led to climate change occurring more rapidly than predicted in earlier studies. Raupach collaborated with an international team of experts to analyze global carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption under the Global Carbon Project initiated by CSIRO. The report discovered that in 2005, nearly 8 billion metric tons of carbon were released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide globally, compared to only 6 billion metric tons in 1995. According to Raupach, as countries progress through industrial development, they go through a phase of heavy and often inefficient use of fossil fuels. While efficiencies improve during this progression, they eventually reach a plateau. Developed countries like Australia and the US have reached this plateau, while developing countries like China are still in the intensive development phase. Since the industrial revolution began, the US and Europe have been responsible for more than half of global emissions over the past two centuries, while China's contribution is less than 8 percent, as stated in the CSIRO report. The report stated that the 50 least-developed nations only contributed less than 0.5 percent of global emissions over a span of 200 years. On average, individuals in Australia and the United States now emit over 5 tons of carbon per year, compared to 1 ton per year in China. Raupach mentioned that understanding the historical context of carbon emissions is crucial in addressing the urgency of reducing emissions. He emphasized the importance of considering both current and past emissions trajectories in negotiating global reductions, ensuring that reductions are both feasible and fair. The CSIRO report discovered that Australia has one of the highest per capita emissions in the world, primarily because of its heavy use of fossil-fuel generated electricity and reliance on cars and trucks for transportation. Raupach stated that there is a need for significant reductions in emissions to achieve CO2 stabilization, as Australia's energy efficiency improvements have not kept pace with other developed countries. Similarly to the United States, Australia has not signed the Kyoto Protocol due to concerns about its effectiveness and has called for a global alternative to replace it. Both countries believe the Kyoto Protocol is flawed because it does not hold major developing nations like India and China to binding emission targets in the initial phase ending in 2012. China is the second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide globally, following the United States. Talks are not yet fully underway regarding the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol, as India and China are firmly against mandatory targets and are pushing for wealthy nations, particularly the United States, to make significant cuts in emissions.