As a result of past emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), the world is now on course for future climate change. This year’s Human Development Report identifies 2ºC as the threshold above which irreversible and dangerous climate change will become unavoidable. It also explains why we have less than a decade to change course and start living within a sustainable global carbon budget identified at 14.5 gigatonnes of CO₂ (Gt CO₂) per annum for the remainder of the 21^st Century. Currently, emissions are running at twice this level. If these trends continue, the carbon budget will be set for expiry during the 2030's, setting in motion processes that can lead to temperature increases of 5ºC or above by the end of this century---roughly similar to temperature changes since the last ice age 10,000 years ago.

With 0.0% of the world's population, Mauritania accounts for 0.0% of global emissions - an average of 0.8 tonnes of CO₂ per person. These emission levels are below those of Sub-Saharan Africa (table 4).

High-income OECD countries meanwhile lead the league of "CO₂ transgressors". With just 15% of the world’s population, they account for almost half of all emissions. If the entire world emitted like High-income OECD countries -an average of 13.2 tonnes of CO₂ per person, we would be emitting 6 times our sustainable carbon budget.

Mauritania has signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol. As a non-Annex I Party to the Protocol, Mauritania is not bound by specific targets for greenhouse gas emissions.