Algeria

ALGERIA IS A North African country that was occupied by France until 1962. It experienced a major insurgency from 1992 until 2002, resulting in the deaths of up to 160,000 people. It covers a land area of 919,595 sq. mi. (2,381,741 sq. Ion.) and has a population of 33,333,216 (2007 est.), of which 96 percent live in the north of the country, which covers only 17 percent of the overall area. Approximately 45 percent of the population live in urban areas. Thus, although the population density for the entire country is 26 people per sq. [Page 26]mi. (13.6 people per sq. km.), the density the north of the country is considerably higher.

Only 3 percent of the country's land is arable, yet in spite of this, intense cultivation, developed by the French, has resulted in Algeria becoming self-sufficient in food. In 1960, the government started a program of soil restoration, and although this ended in 1965, many of the ideas and concepts were incorporated into the program of the Agrarian Revolution of 1971, which helped Algeria retain its self-sufficiency in food in spite of the large rise in population. In Algeria, some 13 percent of land is used for meadows and pastures, with only 2 percent forest, which includes 1.2 million hectares of Aleppo pine and cork oak trees.

The major ecological problem facing the country is continued desertification, with the heavy reliance on petroleum production and exporting resulting in Algeria being reliant on the world consumption of fossil fuels. Much of Algeria's oil production has traditionally been used for airline fuel, tying the country's wealth closely to an industry that has been at the forefront of greenhouse gas pollution.

In fact, carbon dioxide emissions per capita in Algeria have steadily increased, from 3 metric tons in 1990, to 6 metric tons in 1998, and falling slightly to 5.1 metric tons per capita in 2003, nearly 250 percent more than its neighbor Tunisia. This is largely because the oil wealth of Algeria has led to a much higher standard of living, with the widespread use of air conditioning.

In addition, there is heavy private use of cars, with public transport being extremely limited. Buses are operated by the national bus company. The last tramway service in Algeria, located in Algiers, closed in 1959. Although there is a relatively good railway network, it only covers some parts of the country, forcing most businesses to use road haulage on a regular basis. Traditionally, the price of gasoline has been low. In addition, in an attempt to open up the country, the government contributes further to greenhouse gas emissions by subsidizing many internal airfares.

The start of the insurgency in 1992 led to the formation of a High State Committee to run the country. Anxious to continue engagement with the West, it took part in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change signed in Rio de Janeiro in May 1992. The Algerian government of Abdelaziz Bouteflika ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on April 28, 2004, through a presidential decree, although the official date for the country acceding to the Kyoto Protocol was February 16, 2005; it took effect on May 17, 2005. Since then, the Algerian government has promoted policies to reduce carbon levels, with the rising world temperature likely to increase desertification significantly, although the per capita emissions have risen with the increased use of gaseous fuels in the country.

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