Renewables Push California Carbon Emissions Below 1990 Levels. UK Emissions Fall Even Further.
We know that cutting carbon emissions alone won’t solve our planet’s overheating problem, but putting fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere is a good way to begin addressing the issue. (Leaving fossil fuels in the ground is another.) In its latest report, the California Air Resources Board says the state hit its carbon reduction target for 2020 four years ahead of schedule. Linked below is part of that report. The numbers are from 2016, the latest year for which complete data is available.
CARB attributes much of the progress made in lowering carbon emissions to the increase in renewable energy in the state. Renewables now contribute about 13% of the state’s electricity while generation from coal-fired plants has decreased markedly. But the Board also credits a surge in hydroelectric energy during 2015 and 2016 when abundant rainfall swelled the state’s reservoirs.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Carbon Brief reports greenhouse gas emissions are already 38% below 1990 levels (the target California has set for 2030) and are now equal to emissions not seen in that country since Queen Victoria sat on the throne. It says the decrease is attributable to a sharp drop in the amount of coal used to generate electricity, along with an increase in renewables. Its calculations are based on the latest report from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
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Renewables Push California Carbon Emissions Below 1990 Levels. UK Emissions Fall Even Further. | CleanTechnica California and the UK both report significant drops in their greenhouse gas emissions, due in large part to large decreases in the amount of coal used to generate electricity. That’s the good news. Now the hard work begins. |