Global CO ₂ emissions increased by 3% in 2011, reaching a record level of 34 billion tonnes. But they have decreased in countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): in 2011, emissions dropped by 3% in Europe and by 2% in the US and Japan, according to a study, released on 19 July, by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).

The “United States was still one of the largest emitters of CO ₂, with 17.3 tonnes in per capita emissions“ in 2011, the report shows. The average per capita emissions of carbon dioxyde, in 2011, were similar in China and Europe: in China, per capita CO ₂ emissions increased by 9%, reaching 7.2 tonnes in 2011, a figure close the per capita emissions in Europe – 7.5 tonnes in 2011.

The general decrease is “mainly due to weak economic conditions in many countries, mild winter weather in several countries and high oil prices,“ according to the report. Meanwhile, “China’s emission levels have been expanding rapidly, due to its economic growth rate and especially the high level of construction activity“. This increase cancelled out the effects of emissions reductions in OECD countries.