Carbon Brief weekly update 7 February 2013
An American Revolution in emissions?
There’s a revolution going on in the US, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Sustainable Energy in America Factbook 2013. Emissions from the US energy sector have fallen by 13 per cent between 2007 and 2012.
Bloomberg credits more renewables and an increase in gas-powered generation, as unconventional gas makes it economic to switch away from more polluting coal. Interestingly, it also highlights a substantial role for improved energy efficiency.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s new ” fire and brimstone” rhetoric on climate change prompted optimism in the Guardian. The appointment of John Kerry as the new US secretary of state also pleased climate campaigners – we were more cautious.
So are things changing across the pond? A note of caution was sounded by a rather less cheering report from the World Resources Institute (WRI). The WRI report argues lays out the ambitious policy measures needed for the US to hit its 2020 emissions target. If emissions are going to keep going down in the longer term, the President needs the support of Congress – a distant prospect.
Energy efficiency still not exciting yet
In the week that Cumbria County Council rejected plans for an underground nuclear waste storage dump and energy company Centrica pulled out of plans to build new nuclear power plants in this country, columnists were on the hunt for an alternative. A leader in the Times plumped for shale gas. In the Telegraph Geoffrey Lean argued for more energy efficiency, calling it a “bronze bullet” solution – less exciting, but definitely more trustworthy than any proposed silver bullets so far.
The government also appears to think energy efficiency is a good idea. At the official launch of its new so-called “energy efficiency mission” this week David Cameron expressed strong support for the green economy and was endorsed by… Arnold Schwarzenegger, sadly via videolink.
As this was going on, and in something of a blow to joined up government, news came that the Association for the Conservation of Energy has launched a judicial review against last year’s government decision to scrap measures designed to improve household energy efficiency.
Also on our blog
Global worming: are earthworms contributing to climate change?
It may not be all about us humans – earthworms could be contributing to climate change too, according to a new study. But that doesn’t get us off the hook.
How much will offshore wind cost in the future?
The government wants to cut the cost of offshore wind by nearly a third by 2020. The Sunday Telegraph doesn’t believe it can be done. We line up a range of views for a good old-fashioned research fight.
Is there a European coal revival?
European coal consumption is on the rise, buoyed by cheap imports. But evidence suggests it will probably only be a short-term spike in popularity.
Is individual action on emissions really futile under the EU ETS?
In a guest blog, the author of a paper on the European Emissions Trading Scheme points out some of the wider implications of his research that were not picked up in recent media coverage.
Rainforests may be more resilient to climate change
Finally, some good news. Tropical rainforests like the Amazon may not be as vulnerable to rising carbon dioxide levels as previously thought, after a new study uses year-to-year studies to improve model estimates.