Carbon emissions from fossil fuels, cement up 38 percent since 1992, says report; China passes US; CO2 in atmosphere highest for 650,000 years

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has issued a report that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and cement manufacturing have increased 38% since 1992,  from 6.1 billion metric tons of carbon in 1992 to 8.5 billion metric tons in 2007. The largest increases were recorded in Asia, and China has now passed the US in CO2 emissions, according to the report. The report does not cover CO2 emissions from deforestation. The study found that atmospheric carbon concentrations have now reached 383 parts per million, and grew at 2.2 ppm in 2007, up from 2.0 ppm in the 200-07 period and the 1986-2006 average of 1.5 ppm.

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