It is estimated that carbon is accumulating in the atmosphere at an annual rate of 3.5 billion metric tonnes.

BBC: Africa's burning charcoal problem

This week he asked it to ratify another four-year-old treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, which would make Russia destroy 40, 000 metric tonnes of chemical agents.

ECONOMIST: Russia: Unequal abroad, punchier at home | The

The cement plant, which will have a three million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity, is near completion and is expected to be commissioned early next year.

FORBES: Nigerian Millionaire Builds $500 Million Cement Plant To Rival Billionaire Dangote

Tanzania produces between 40-50, 000 metric tonnes of coffee a year, making it only the sixth largest coffee producer in Africa after Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Tanzania aims to boost coffee trade

If all of them started to telecommute instead of drive to work, oil imports would drop by over a quarter, and carbon emissions would fall by 67m metric tonnes a year.

ECONOMIST: Tech.view

Almost all its sale of iron ore in China is currently through its Asia Pacific Iron Ore Division, which has a limited supply capacity of 9 million metric tonnes of iron ore.

FORBES: Cliffs Buys Thompson And Takes Foothold In Asia, Upside Uncertain

Russia was allowed to argue that its vast forests soaked up at least 17 million metric tonnes of carbon a year, thus sparing it the need to reduce its use of coal and oil by that amount.

BBC: Russia puts heat on climate treaty

Despite bumper harvests in recent years, officials and experts warn that China's grain security still faces potential risks as over 35m metric tonnes of grain are wasted each year from poor storage and transportation, Global Times and China Daily report.

BBC: China media: Housing law anger