Germany's economy nowadays emits as much carbon dioxide as it did in the 1950s, when it was 10 times smaller.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), carbon dioxide emissions trends for 2019 suggest clean energy transitions are underway. Global power sector emissions declined by some 170 Mt, or 1.2%, with the biggest falls taking place in the advanced economies of the European Union, Japan and the United States. There, CO2 emissions are now at levels not seen since the late 1980s, when electricity demand was one-third lower.
In these advanced economies, the average CO2 emissions intensity of electricity generation declined by nearly 6.5% in 2019. This is a rate three times faster than the average over the past decade.
This decline is driven by a switch from coal to natural gas, a rise in nuclear power and weaker electricity demand, combined with the seemingly unstoppable growth in renewables. These now constitute over 40% of the energy mix in Germany (wind power +11%) and the United Kingdom, where rapid expansion in offshore wind power generation is happening.
The bummer lies with the rest of the world.
There emissions continue to expand with close to 400 Mt last year. About 80% of that increase is happening in Asia. Coal demand here continues to expand, accounting for over 50% of energy use.
(Score: 2) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Wednesday February 12 2020, @09:20PM
Methane, that alone, as I understand the world, makes all of this CO2 talk irrelevant.
*The entire point of the C02 talk was to prevent the methane release*
Now that the methan is releasing, and it is, of course the false-hope peddlers want you to pay attention to the people who were paying attention 20 years ago.
Sometimes in a closed system, it doesn't make any difference if some people pay attention while others do not.
Sometimes if you remember history, people who earned money by doing awful shit have to give it back, too.
Just ask switzerland.
https://archive.is/ZinJT [archive.is] while they were ruining the planet, they shafted everybody, and this is americans, the petrodollar shafted everyone else
https://archive.is/FRGCj [archive.is] the 911 wars were maybe the biggest contributor, and 20 years later, no one is safer, not even israelis
https://archive.is/kd65L [archive.is] attn boomers we arent paying your debts