Australia, a country largely recognised as the world's biggest coal exporter by volume and a major contributor to the rise of developing economies, has been found also a major contributor to the global environment's rapid deterioration.

In a 134-page report from the International Energy Agency titled "CO2 Emissions From Fuel Combustion," it showed that Australia's coal-related emissions rose from 73.2 million tonnes in 1970 to 220.9 million tonnes in 2009. From 1990 to 2009, the emissions belched by the burning of coal jumped 61 per cent.

The International Energy Agency report showed that Australia's coal emissions since 1970 have grown nearly 300 per cent.

The International Energy Agency said emissions are not solely based on local generation alone, but also on those products sent overseas to Australia's export markets. The total emissions generated from Australian coal burned elsewhere combined with local figures are astounding.

Australia supplies more than 20 countries around the world with coal. According to the Australian Coal Association, Australia's biggest markets in 2009-10 were Japan at 39 per cent, China at 14 per cent, South Korea at 14 per cent, India at 11 per cent, Taiwan at 9 per cent and Europe at 6 per cent.

The International Energy Agency said two-thirds of global emissions in 2009 originated from just 10 countries, with China and the United States combined producing 41 per cent of the world's carbon emissions. Electricity, heat generation and transport were the major factors that produced two-thirds of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2009, up from 58 per cent in 1990.

The International Energy Agency had been urging nations to stop fossil subsidies in order to reduce CO2 emissions. The energy body has also been actively lobbying the use of renewable energies such as solar energy and wind power to gain a bigger market share as well as reduce further deterioration to the global environment.