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A better climate future can happen

Consistent, coherent and continuous climate action is needed now.

People—and things created and used by people such as buildings, carbon emissions and climate-related impact statistics in mind,
businesses and transportation—produce carbon footprints. A carbon developed and developing countries must assume responsibility for
footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by a curbing carbon emissions.
structure or an activity. To place carbon footprints in perspective,
a person living in the United States has a carbon footprint of Straightforward solutions exist for taking a different path
approximately 16 tons , while the global average for carbon footprints Many types of obstacles clutter the path to reduced carbon emissions
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is approximately 4 tons. and energy efficiency. Traditional business requirements, budgetary
pressures, and politics at the international, national, regional, and
This difference in carbon footprint points to another startling state levels have slowed and sometimes hampered the transition to
statistic. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and sustainable practices. However, solutions that can help reduce carbon
Development , 46 of the least developed countries (LDCs) produce emissions and create energy efficiencies exist.
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only about 4% of the world’s average carbon emissions. However,
the 46 LDCs have experienced 69% of the deaths caused by climate- For example, the current built environment contributes 40%
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related disasters during the past 50 years. With carbon footprint, of annual global carbon emissions. Of that overall percentage,

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