Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Worldwide emissions of carbon-dioxide increased to record levels last year, prompting scientists to warn that current energy production could make it difficult to meet the goal for slowing down the rate of global warming.
In 2010, CO2 emissions totaled 30.6 Gigatonnes, representing a 5% jump from 2008, the previous record year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The IEA also reported that 80% of projected emissions for 2020 are “already locked in,” which means the world has limited wiggle room to make adjustments for slowing down CO2 releases. World leaders had agreed at their climate change conference last year to keep global temperature increases to 2°C. But at the current pace of emissions, meeting this goal is questionable.
“Our latest estimates are another wake-up call,” said Dr. Fatih Birol, chief economist at the IEA, who urged greater action to stem the rise of atmospheric CO2.
According to the IEA, 44% of the estimated energy-related CO2 emissions in 2010 came from coal, 36% from oil, and 20% from natural gas. The production of electricity and heat plants grew 55% between 1990 and 2008, but CO2 emissions increased by 64.5% during the same period.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Prospect of Limiting the Global Increase in Temperature to 2ºc is Getting Bleaker (International Energy Agency)
New IEA Book Addresses the Role of Electricity in Meeting Climate Change Goals (International Energy Agency)
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