US is worst (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

US is worst

J P HUNTER'S letter (EA June 13) distorts the facts regarding different countries contributions towards climate change.

True, China and India both produce more carbon dioxide than the UK (in 2000 the figures were 760 million, 290 million and 150 million metric tons of carbon, respectively).

However, China and India are also the world's largest two countries by populations with 1.3 billion and 1 billion inhabitants, compared to the UK's 60 million.

Per capita, UK citizens are producing this greenhouse gas at over four times the rate of Chinese citizens and nearly nine times the rate of Indian citizens.

But even this pales into insignificance when compared to the 1.5 billion tons produced by the 290 million inhabitants of the USA, leading the world by a long way in both total and per capita emissions.

S BRIDEWELL

Grange Park

Swindon