Quantitative Historical Data Regarding "Carbon Footprints"

Has anyone seen, or does anyone know, where I may be able to find reliable quantitative data regarding historical per capita carbon footprints?

The reason I ask is due to my interest in actually determining how much each person will have to do in order to have a real effect on the crisis. The data clearly shows that global CO2 levels began their increase at around the time of the industrial revolution (1),(2)(late 18th and early 19th centuries) when the global population was approximately 1/6 of its current value.(3)

What this tells me, in the very least, is that we must have as our current per capita value 1/6 that of the average person in the *pre* industrialised world.

Now, I am not certain what that value was, but I can almost guarantee it is significantly lower than what we currently enjoy at present - e.g. if a person in 1800 used even 75% of today's norm then each and every person on earth will have to decrease his/her carbon footprint (on average) to 1/8 of what it is currently - and that is simply to maintain the status quo.

Of course this means some people will have to reduce their net emissions more than others, but it doesn't necessarily mean we have to freeze our collective butts off here in the northern hemisphere.

So, when our governments talk about 10% reductions, 25% reductions, etc...does anyone think they're being realistic or simply playing lip-service to what they perceive as the ignorant masses?

I really don't mean to be a doomsday advocate or imply that such challenges are beyond the capacity of human-kind as a whole to confront and overcome. What I am saying is that some clever person somewhere can certainly come up with the correct numbers to overwhelmingly convince the people in power that they must use that power to effectively begin the transition from a pollution junky society to a green and clean society and they MUST DO IT NOW.

Furthermore, has anyone heard of world leaders in business and politics already planning for environmentally safe shelters for themselves and their children while they continue to peddle said lip-service?

(1) D.M. Etheridge, L.P. Steele, R.L. Langenfelds, R.J. Francey, J.-M. Barnola and V.I. Morgan. 1998. Historical CO2 records from the Law Dome DE08, DE08-2, and DSS ice cores. In Trends: A Compendium of Data on Global Change. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.A

(2) Al Gore: An Inconvenient Truth, Paramount Pictures Corp.

(3) U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division/International Programs Center
August 24, 2006
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/worldhis.html

 

your amussing that they the powers at be would even listen to these "correct numbers" ...for the peddlers of petrol reap the benifits of addicting our society...its there cash cow and they are not done sucking there zombie junkies of all there worth.

they can see the writing on the wall ...they simple choose not to except it...for they them selves are junkies of the green back

 

yes how true...all flawed assumptions...it is obviuos we need more pirates...