A new study has shown that Australians have overtaken Americans as theworld's highest per capita carbon dioxide polluters.
The global pollution report has been compiled bya British company, Maplecroft. Using U.S. Energy Department data itcalculated that Australia's per capita output of carbon dioxide at18.66 metric tons a year, four percent higher than the United States.
In a list of 185 countries, Canada, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia rounded out the top five.
China remains the world's biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, followed by the United States.
Australia'sposition as the worst per capita emitter of carbon dioxide, which manyscientists blame for global warming, is a result of its heavy relianceon cheap supplies of coal. About 80 percent of the country'selectricity is generated by coal-fired power stations.
Canberra has committed to cutting its greenhouse gas pollution by up to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels.
ProfessorBarry Brook from Adelaide University says a global plan of action tocut emissions is more important than the performance of individualcountries.
"Australia has about five times the per capitaemissions of China for instance but China produces over 20 times thecarbon emissions of Australia because China has such a hugepopulation," he said. "So you can play around with these numbers allyou want but ultimately what matters is the total global carbon budgetand unless humanity as a whole can find solutions to that problem thenall of that petty bickering amongst nations about who's more or lessresponsible isn't really going to be very helpful."
The Britishpollution report has been released ahead of a major United Nationssummit in Copenhagen in December aiming to agree to a new climatechange treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
The Australiangovernment hopes to have a sweeping carbon emissions trading system inplace before the summit in Denmark. Its plans, however, suffered aparliamentary defeat last month, leaving the program in doubt.
Scientistshave warned that Australia - a vast, dry island that is home to 21million people - is particularly susceptible to the effects of globalwarming and could suffer more severe bushfires, droughts and storms iftemperatures continue to rise.
Parts of Australia haveexperienced their warmest winters on record, which climatologists haveblamed on both the effects of climate change and natural variability.