“The growth in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2017 is a strong warning for global efforts to combat climate change, and demonstrates that current efforts are insufficient to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.” International Energy Agency
Chris Mooney at the Washington Post has yet again written an excellent piece on climate change. Specifically, on the dashed hopes of a climate change turnaround as a result of the global fight against human generated greenhouse gas emissions.
Mooney notes that over three years “carbon dioxide emissions from the use of energy rose again by 1.4 percent in 2017, according to new data released by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday”.
The increase in emissions of the all-important greenhouse gas came as global energy demand itself increased thanks to strong economic growth — and that demand was sated by all types of energy, including renewables but also oil, coal and natural gas.
The failure of emissions to rise between 2014 and 2016 had suggested to analysts that something may have finally changed in the global energy economy — a possible “decoupling” of emissions growth from steady economic growth, thanks to the proliferation of renewables and increasing energy efficiency. But now, that hopeful assumption is being called into question.
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“What makes all of this so alarming is that we have such a short amount of time to turn all this around,” Shearer said. “So while the trend is going against coal, it’s still not happening fast enough for international climate goals, or for a livable climate.”
So in sum, the two reports agree on something very fundamental — coal is struggling, perhaps, but is not out of the picture. And whatever change is happening, it isn’t enough to put the planet on the course that world leaders have said they want — one that avoids the worst impacts of climate change.