https://www-cbc-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4934096
[Maybe we can trigger a global recession to help reduce GHG emissions.
It worked in 2008. Much easier than a carbon tax, right?
links and images in online article]
Global carbon dioxide emissions rose almost 3% in 2018
'Every year that we delay serious climate action, the Paris goals become
more difficult to meet,' expert says
The Associated Press
December 05, 2018
After several years of little growth, global emissions of heat-trapping
carbon dioxide experienced their largest jump in seven years,
discouraging scientists.
World carbon dioxide emissions are estimated to have risen 2.7 per cent
from 2017 to 2018, according to three studies released Wednesday from
the Global Carbon Project, an international scientific collaboration of
academics, governments and industry that tracks greenhouse gas
emissions. The calculations, announced during negotiations to put the
2015 Paris climate accord into effect, puts some of the landmark
agreement's goals nearly out of reach, scientists said.
"This is terrible news," said Andrew Jones, co-director of Climate
Interactive, which models greenhouse gas emissions and temperatures but
was not part of the research. "Every year that we delay serious climate
action, the Paris goals become more difficult to meet."
The studies concluded that this year the world would spew 37.1 billion
tonnes of carbon dioxide, up from 36.2 billion tonnes last year. The
margin of error is about one percentage point on either side.
The Global Carbon Project uses government and industry reports to come
up with final emission figures for 2017 and projections for 2018 based
on the four biggest polluters: China, the United States, India and the
European Union.
The U.S., which had been steadily decreasing its carbon pollution,
showed a significant rise in emissions — up 2.5 per cent — for the first
time since 2013. China, the globe's biggest carbon emitter, saw its
largest increase since 2011: 4.6 per cent.
'Reality check'
Study lead author Corinne Le Quéré, a climate change researcher at the
University of East Anglia in England, said the increase is a surprising
"reality check" after a few years of smaller emission increases. But she
also doesn't think the world will return to the even larger increases
seen from 2003 to 2008. She believes unusual factors are at play this year.
For the U.S., it was a combination of a hot summer and cold winter that
required more electricity use for heating and cooling. For China, it was
an economic stimulus that pushed coal-powered manufacturing, Le Quéré said.
John Reilly, co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and
Policy of Global Change, said the results aren't too surprising because
fossil fuels still account for 81 per cent of the world's energy use.
The burning of coal, oil and gas releases carbon dioxide, which warms
the Earth. Reilly, who wasn't part of the study, praised it as impressive.
Global Carbon Project chair Rob Jackson, a Stanford University climate
scientist, said he was discouraged.
The Paris accord set two goals. The long-held goal would limit global
warming to no more than 1 C from now, with a more ambitious goal of
limiting warming to 0.5 C from now.
The trend is such that the world would have to be lucky to keep warming
to 1 C, let alone the lower goal, Le Quéré said.
China increased its emissions to 10.3 billion tonnes, while the U.S.
jumped to 5.4 billion tonnes. The European Union spewed 3.5 billion
tonnes and India soared to 2.6 billion tonnes. Overall, the world is
spewing about 1,175 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air every
second.
Use of coal — the biggest carbon emitter — is rising. And while
countries are using more renewable fuels and trying to reduce carbon
from electricity production, emissions from cars and planes are steadily
increasing, Le Quere said.
Global carbon dioxide emissions have increased 55 per cent in the last
20 years, the calculations show. At the same time, Earth has warmed on
average about 0.38 C, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
