G8 countries have always been showing concerns about this phenomenon, but it is also an irrefutable fact that they are more responsible than any other developing or under-developed country of the world in pushing the climate change to this dangerous level threatening the very existence of life on Earth. .

Greenhouse gas emission trends, as it has been reported last month by the Inter-governmental panel on climate change of the WMO and UNEP, show that Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004. Since pre-industrial times, increasing emissions of GHGs due to human activities have led to a marked increase in atmospheric GHG concentrations. Between 1970 and 2004, global emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6, weighted by their global warming potential (GWP), have increased by 70% (24% between 1990 and 2004), from 28.7 to 49 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (GtCO2-eq). The emissions of these gases have increased at different rates. CO2 emissions have grown between 1970 and 2004 by about 80% (28% between 1990 and 2004) and represented 77% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2004.

The largest growth in global GHG emissions between 1970 and 2004 has come from the energy supply sector (an increase of 145%). The growth in direct emissions in this period from transport was 120%, industry 65% and land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) 40%. Between 1970 and 1990 direct emissions from agriculture grew by 27% and from buildings by 26%, and the latter remained at approximately at 1990 levels thereafter. However, the buildings sector has a high level of electricity use and hence the total of direct and indirect emissions in this sector is much higher (75%) than direct emissions.

The effect on global emissions of the decrease in global energy intensity (-33%) during 1970 to 2004 has been smaller than the combined effect of global income growth (77 %) and global population growth (69%); both drivers of increasing energy-related CO2 emissions. The long-term trend of a declining carbon intensity of energy supply reversed after 2000. Differences in terms of per capita income, per capita emissions, and energy intensity among countries remain significant. In 2004 UNFCCC Annex I countries held a 20% share in world population, produced 57% of world Gross Domestic Product based on Purchasing Power Parity (GDPppp) , and accounted for 46% of global GHG emissions.
The emissions of ozone depleting substances (ODS) controlled under the Montreal Protocol, which are also GHGs, have declined significantly since the 1990s. By 2004 the emissions of these gases were about 20% of their 1990 level.

With current climate change mitigation policies and related sustainable development practices, global GHG emissions will continue to grow over the next few decades, the report said.

What is to be done in this scenario? There is nothing new to say, since the old issues are not yet settled and the agreements on certain issues are not honoured.

For example we can take the issue of the divide of the North and the South. Only about 25 per cent of the world's population lives in the North, but they consume 75 per cent of the world's energy and products. It is the countries of the North, who are mostly developed countries, and who have more polluted the environment for over two hundred years than the developing and poor counties of the South. They are the major culprits who have endangered the life on Earth; however, they are not doing the needful on their part. They only expect the developing countries to check this menace.

On the other hand, developing countries need development and growth the feed their people. They cannot afford to stop development activities.

If life on Earth is to survive, the developed countries will have to share more responsibilities and restrain their greed for wealth for themselves. Whatever they are doing is very little.

Greed for wealth in certain rich people who are exploiting the natural resources of the Earth should be restrained.

There are certainly other issues like faster growth in population and over consumption of the resources etc. However, one should take note of the fact that the rich produce more pollution than the poor. This rich, individuals and the nations, need to restrain themselves. Can they do that ?