CARBON RISING

Global carbon-dioxide emissions increase by 1.0 Gt in 2011 to record high

24 May 2012 (International Energy Agency)

“Global carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel combustion reached a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2011, according to preliminary estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA). This represents an increase of 1.0 Gt on 2010, or 3.2%. Coal accounted for 45% of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2011, followed by oil (35%) and natural gas (20%).

“The 450 Scenario of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2011, which sets out an energy pathway consistent with a 50% chance of limiting the increase in the average global temperature to 2°C, requires CO2 emissions to peak at 32.6 Gt no later than 2017…The 450 Scenario sees a decoupling of CO2 emissions from global GDP, but much still needs to be done to reach that goal…[T]he rate of growth in CO2 emissions in 2011 exceeded that of global GDP…”

click to enlarge

“In 2011, a 6.1% increase in CO2 emissions in countries outside the OECD was only partly offset by a 0.6% reduction in emissions inside the OECD. China made the largest contribution to the global increase, with its emissions rising by 720 million tonnes (Mt), or 9.3%, primarily due to higher coal consumption [though its rapid deployment of energy efficiency and New Energy is paying dividends]…Had these gains not been made, China’s CO2 emissions in 2011 would have been higher by 1.5 Gt…India’s emissions rose by 140 Mt, or 8.7%, moving it ahead of Russia to become the fourth largest emitter behind China, the United States, and the European Union…

“…[P]er-capita CO2 emissions in China and India still remain just 63% and 15% of the OECD average respectively…CO2 emissions in the United States in 2011 fell by 92 Mt, or 1.7%, primarily due to ongoing switching from coal to natural gas in power generation and an exceptionally mild winter…higher oil prices and the economic downturn…CO2 emissions in the EU in 2011 were lower by 69 Mt, or 1.9%...Japan’s emissions increased by 28 Mt, or 2.4%, as a result of a substantial increase in the use of fossil fuels in power generation post-Fukushima.”

Tweet