Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
25
MYS
CHN
HKG
JPN
KOR
NPL
PAK
PNG
PHL
SGP
SAS
LKA
THA
AUS
BRA
IND
GBR
USA
20
CAN
FRA
NZL
WLD
EMU
EA & P
USA
AUS
CAN
15
SGP
10
GBR
JPN
MYS
KOR
NZL
EMU
HKG
FRA
5
CHN
WLD
THA
EA & P
BRA
IND
PNG
PHL
PHL
PHL
SAS
LKA
0
NPL
1E+09
1E+10
1E+11
1E+12
1E+13
1E+14
National GDP ($US) - Time Series (1965-2005)
Figure 1.13
Global CO2 emissions over time (tons)
Note
: * Total (all sector) CO2 emissions (tons per capita) are plotted against National GDP ($US, logged). ** Each country
time series plots data for 1965/1970/1975/1980/1985/1990/ 1995/2000/2005
Source
: Data from World Bank, 2010b.
the population and the ability to travel around in powered vehicles, either for passengers or
goods or in combination. Williams (1991, pp. 7-9) describes the all-pervading influence of
the car:
In 1885 Karl Benz constructed the first automobile. It had three wheels, like an invalid
car, and ran on alcohol, like many drivers. Since then more than seventeen million people
[by 1991] have been killed in an undeclared war. And the rest of the world may be in
danger of being run over in a terminal squabble over the oil. Were an alien visitor to
hover a few hundred yards above the planet, it could be forgiven for thinking that cars
were the dominant life-form, and that human beings were a kind of ambulatory fuel cell,
injected when the car wished to move off, and ejected when they were spent.
Many vehicles are multi-purpose and this flexibility is part of the attraction; the growth in
proved extremely popular: including the Toyota Corolla as the current best-selling vehicle of
all time (32 million vehicles and counting, 1966-), and the VW Golf (25 million, 1974-),
VW Beetle (22 million, 1938-), Ford Model T (16.5 million, 1908-1927) and Chrysler Voyager
although of course change with different designs over time.
•
In 1995, there were about 500 million cars, 77 per cent of which were in OECD countries,
and some 750 million vehicles, 69 per cent of which were in the OECD countries;