Coal-hungry China [image credit: democraticunderground.com]
Hard to say which is the greater fantasy: the belief in human-caused climate change due to trace gases, or the prescribed attempts to ‘tackle’ the imagined problem. Demand for energy is rising worldwide, meaning attempts to restrict its supply look doomed. One analyst says: “Despite more than two decades of climate policy making, fossil fuel production levels are higher than ever.”
There’s a huge gulf between ambition and reality, reports DW.com.
The world is on track to produce far more fossil fuels than permissible to meet its target of limiting global warming to at most 2 degrees Celsisus, and ideally 1.5 degrees C.
That’s the conclusion of the Production Gap Report, created from leading research institutions together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“This report shows, for the first time, just how big the disconnect is between Paris temperature goals and countries’ plans and policies for coal, oil, and gas production,” said Michael Lazarus, lead author of the report from the Stockholm Environment Institute. The report proposes solutions to close this gap, he added.
Inge Anderson, Executive Director of UNEP, called for a “sharpened and long overdue” focus on fossil fuels. “The world’s energy supply remains dominated by coal, oil and gas, driving emission levels that are inconsistent with climate goals.”
Planned production of fossil fuels by 2030 is around 50 percent too high to limit global warming to 2 degrees C, the report found, and is more than double that needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C.
Keep it in the ground
By looking closely at individual energy sources, the scientists showed fossil fuels are not on the necessary reduction paths to meet emissions pledges — which themselves are not enough to reach the Paris goals.
Coal mining, for instance, would need to halve worldwide by 2030 to hit 2 degrees C, and drop by two-thirds to hit 1.5, the report found.
National projections suggest countries are planning on 17% more coal in 2030 than is consistent to meet their pledges.
Continued here.
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From BBC News today (20th Nov.):
Climate change: China coal surge threatens Paris targets
Quote: The authors say that right now the amount of coal power under construction or under suspension and likely to be revived is about 147.7GW, an amount that is almost the same as the entire coal generating capacity of the European Union (150GW).
Compared to the rest of the world, China is building about 50% more coal plants than are under construction in all other countries combined.
via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
November 20, 2019 at 08:15AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 
Reblogged this on Climate- Science.press.
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