Brits emit more carbon in a week than one from poor country would all year

London, January 10 (ANI): Just over a week into the new year, the average Briton is suggested to have already caused more carbon emissions in 2009 than a person in a poor country would create all year.

The World Development Movement (WDM) in the UK claims that a Brit's carbon footprint has outstripped the annual output of a person in the 50 least developed countries.

The charity reckons that the average UK carbon footprint was 9.66 tonnes in 2006 as a result of the use of fossil fuels as compared to 0.23 tonnes for people in the poorest countries, which suggests that a UK person has already caused more emissions in 2009 than someone from the 50 poorest nations will this year.

"It is shocking that ... the average Briton will have already produced more carbon this year than someone in a poor country will in the whole of 2009. The world's poorest people contribute little to climate change but will suffer most from its consequences," the Daily Express quoted Benedict Southworth, director of WDM, as saying.

The charity wants the Climate Change Secretary to ensure carbon emission reductions happen in the UK, and are not bought through international carbon trading. (ANI)