ASIA-WIDE EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE GASES

Emissions of principal greenhouse gases (GHGs) from Asia are increasin g faster than those from any other continent. This is a result of rapi d economic growth, as well as the fact that almost half of the world's population lives in Asian countries. In this paper, we provide estima tes of emissions of the two principal greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), from individual countries and areas. Recent literature has been reviewed for emission estimates for individual sou rces, such as carbon dioxide from cement manufacture, and methane from rice fields. There are very large uncertainties in many of these esti mates, so several estimates are provided, where available. The largest anthropogenic source of CO2 emissions is the use of fossil fuels. Ene rgy consumption data from 1992 have been used to calculate estimated e missions of CO2 from this source. In view of the ongoing negotiations to limit future greenhouse gas emissions, estimates of projected CO2 e missions from the developing countries of Asia are also provided. Thes e are likely to be 3 times their 1986 levels by 2010, under ''business as usual'' scenarios. Even with the implementation of energy efficien cy measures and fuel switching where feasible, the emissions of CO2 ar e likely to double within the same time period.