Tiny populace plays a big role in destabilizing climate

Re: China is the emissions culprit, not Alberta, Opinion, Aug. 22

Gary Lamphier offers some “context” on CO2 emissions to counter the “greenies.” But his brand of context is based solely on the fact that Canada is a small country ( about 0.5 per cent of the world’s population).

A better context for comparing Canada with the largest emitters is to compare per- person emissions:

China — 7.2 tonnes, U. S. — 17.3 tonnes, EU — 7.5 tonnes, India — 1.4 tonnes, Canada — 16.8 tonnes ( Alberta — 70 tonnes).

In this light, Canada and Alberta appear to be small but deadly, and China is still in catch- up mode.

To evaluate Bill McKibben’s statement that “the carbon in the tarsands can wreck the future,” consider this context:

1) To keep the global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, the cumulative CO2 emissions between now and 2050 need to stay below 565 billion tonnes.

2) The emissions from proven reserves of fossil fuels would total 2,800 billion tonnes ( five times the limit).

3) The emissions from the estimated oil in the tarsands would total 240 billion tonnes ( half the total limit).

(From rollingstone.com/politics/news/global- warmings- terrifying-new-math- 20120719)

To stay below a dangerous rise of two degrees, we should burn only natural gas, and leave both coal and the oilsands in the ground. JIM STEPHENSON North Vancouver