LONDON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The worst economic crisis to hit world economies in decades had an insignificant effect on the amount of carbon emissions, a British scientist said.
A report published in the journal Nature Climate Change concluded that emission generated from the burning of fossil fuels rose 5.9 percent in 2010. Cumulatively, this pushed emission up from 49 percent of levels recorded in 1990, the baseline for the Kyoto Protocol.
Julia Steinberger, an ecological economist at the University of Leeds, was quoted by The Guardian newspaper in London as saying the data suggest the global recession did nothing to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
"The worst economic crisis in decades was apparently a mere hiccup in terms of carbon emissions: a temporary drop for the richest countries in 2009 and hardly perceived by emerging economies," she said. "These findings are truly shocking and constitute a global wake-up call."
World delegates are meeting in Durban, South Africa, to review prospects for the Kyoto Protocol, parts of which are set to expire.
Corinne Le Quere, an author of the study, said despite the slow march toward renewable energy like wind, solar and marine power, little has been done to curb emissions.
"There have been efforts to use more renewable energy and improve energy efficiency but what this shows is that so far, the effects have been marginal," she was quoted as saying.
