A recent study found that global carbon emissions increased significantly in 2007, with countries like China and India now responsible for more than half of the world's carbon dioxide output. The Global Carbon Project reported that emissions have been growing at a much faster rate since 2000 compared to the 1990s, despite efforts to reduce emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The burning of fossil fuels was identified as a major factor in the rise of emissions. The report also predicts that India will soon surpass Russia as the third largest emitter of CO2. The executive director of the Global Carbon Project noted that for the first time, developing countries are now contributing more to global emissions than developed nations. "The other thing we confirm is that China is now the top emitter," he informed Reuters, noting that China alone was responsible for 60 percent of all emissions growth. The United States ranked as the second largest emitter. The project is backed by the International Council for Science, the overarching organization for all national academies of science. Professor Barry Brook, director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Adelaide in Australia, warned of "DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES" due to the rapid increase in emissions, which could result in the world warming faster than previously anticipated. He suggested that CO2 concentrations could reach 450 ppm by 2030 instead of the current prediction of 2040. They are currently slightly above 380 parts per million. However, reaching 450 parts per million of CO2 will result in a 2 degrees Celsius global warming and its disastrous consequences. The Global Carbon Project, which began in 2001, studies changes in the earth's carbon cycle, including both human and natural emissions, and how carbon is absorbed by sinks like oceans and forests. Canadell explains that the project analyzes CO2 samples from around the world and national emission data submitted to the United Nations. He notes the unprecedented increase in emissions and gas accumulation between 2000 and 2007, despite international efforts to combat climate change during that time. Currently, only 37 wealthy nations are bound by the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions starting in 2008. However, this agreement does not include developing nations in emissions reduction targets. The United Nations is leading discussions to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 and create a plan that involves all countries in reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. The report calls this situation a "wake-up call," citing that atmospheric CO2 levels reached 383 parts per million in 2007, the highest in the past 650,000 years. In 2007, the annual growth rate of atmospheric CO2 was 2.2 ppm, an increase from 1.8 ppm in 2006. Professor Matthew England, the joint director of the University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre, stated that the recent data on increasing carbon dioxide emissions should serve as a significant alert to industry, business, and politicians. Canadell suggested that the credit crisis is likely to reduce emissions growth, acknowledging the impact of the economic downturn. He noted that unless major countries like China, India, Russia, and Japan experience the same level of economic hardship as the United States, emissions may only see a slight decline.