Renewable Energy Revolution: Declining Costs, Surging Capacity

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Or, quite simply, we get off of our butts and do something about it

http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/CO2REPORT2012.pdf

[font face=Serif][font size=5]TRENDS IN GLOBAL CO2 EMISSIONS[/font]

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[font size=4]Summary[/font]

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[font size=3]Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the main cause of global warming – increased by 3% in 2011, reaching an all-time high of 34 billion tonnes in 2011. In 2011, China’s average per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by 9% to 7.2 tonnes CO2. Taking into account an uncertainty margin of 10%, this is similar to the per capita emissions in the European Union of 7.5 tonnes in 2011, the year in which the European Union saw a decrease in emissions of 3%. China, the world’s most populous country, is now well within the 6 to 19 tonnes/person range spanned by the major industrialised countries. In comparison, in 2011, the United States was still one of the largest emitters of CO2, with 17.3 tonnes in per capita emissions, after a steep decline mainly caused by the recession in 2008–2009, high oil prices compared to low fuel taxes and an increased share of natural gas.

With a decrease in 2008 and a 5% surge in 2010, the past decade saw an average annual increase of 2.7%. The top 5 emitters are China (share 29%), the United States (16%), the European Union (EU27) (11%), India (6%) and the Russian Federation (5%), followed by Japan (4%). The fact that global emissions continued this historical growth trend in 2011 seems remarkable at first sight, considering that in many OECD countries CO2 emissions in fact decreased – in the European Union by 3%, in the United States by 2% and in Japan by 2% – mainly due to weak economic conditions in many countries, mild winter weather in several countries and high oil prices. More important, however, is that CO2 emissions from OECD countries now account for only one third of global emissions – the same share as that of China and India, where emissions increased by 9% and 6%, respectively, in 2011. The increase in China’s CO2 emissions was mainly due to a continued high economic growth rate, with related increases in fossil fuel consumption. This increase in fuel consumption in 2011 was mainly driven by the increase in building construction and expansion of infrastructure, as indicated by the growth in cement and steel production. Domestic coal consumption grew by 9.7% and coal import increased by 10%, making China the world’s largest coal importer, overtaking Japan.

Levels of global CO2 emissions from flaring of unused gas during oil production, which have decreased by about 25% since 2003, did not significantly change in 2011. They roughly amount to the total of CO2 emissions in Spain. However, according to satellite observations, flaring emissions in the United States are on the rise, with a steep 50% increase in 2011. The main cause is the recent sharp increase in the country’s use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale oil production and its ensuing flaring of co-produced gas. Recently, the United States also expanded shale gas fracking and has now become the largest natural gas producer in the world.

Since 2000, an estimated total of 420 billion tonnes CO2 was cumulatively emitted due to human activities (including deforestation). Scientific literature suggests that limiting average global temperature rise to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels – the target internationally adopted in UN climate negotiations – is possible if cumulative emissions in the 2000–2050 period do not exceed 1,000 to 1,500 billion tonnes CO2. If the current global increase in CO2 emissions continues, cumulative emissions will surpass this total within the next two decades.

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We can decrease carbon emissions. Of course, we need to go negative in relatively short order.