If only 16 per cent of the world's population behaved in a more responsible manner, many environmental problems would have been resolved. Consider this. In 1997, the 29 industrialised member-nations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( oecd ) contributed 53.2 per cent of the total carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) emissions of the world, which stood at 23,000 million tonnes. These nations are home to a population of around 1 billion as against the world population of around 6 billion. With their preference for fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, the rich nations continue to aggravate the problem of global warming caused by rising co 2 emissions.