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Success stories


Have any countries been able to reduce their greenhouse gases (GHG) while growing their economies?

In this section you will learn how three countries with expanding economies have reduced and plan to continue to reduce their GHG emissions:


Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Dec. 17, 2002 by act of parliament. We are therefore bound by our own law to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below our 1990 levels before 2012.

However, in May 2006, the Canadian Environment Minister declared that the Government of Canada no longer endorses or promotes the Kyoto Protocol emission targets saying they are too ambitious. (1)


Are there any developed countries that are successfully reducing their GHGs?

This graph (2) shows the change in greenhouse gas emissions for UNFCCC Annex 1 countries from 1990 to 2005. These are developed countries, like Canada, that should be meeting their Kyoto targets.

Click figure to enlarge it

Many of the countries that have reduced their GHGs are eastern European. Their reductions have largely been due to the collapse of their economies after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

But some of these countries reduced their GHG emissions as they grew their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (i.e. got wealthier):

Country GDP (BN$US)(3) % Chg GHG (Mt CO2e)(4) % Chg
1990 2005 1990 2005

UK

991.1

2,226.3

124.6%

776.1

657.4

-15.3%

Germany

1,714.4

2,786.9

62.6%

1,226.3

1,001.5

-18.3%

Sweden

242.2

357.4

47.6%

72.2

67.0

-7.2%

Canada

582.7

1,131.8

94.2%

598.9

746.9

+24.7%


Click a link below to learn how that country has reduced and plans to continue to reduce its GHG emissions: