The hard work in cutting emissions around the globe is finally paying off. According to data collected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2019, the USA had the most significant CO2 reduction in the world on a country basis, while, as an entire economic bloc, the EU had a more considerable CO2 reduction.
In 2019, global energy-related CO2 emissions were down by roughly thirty-three gigatons after increasing for two years. The IEA claims that this was a result of a sharp decline in carbon emissions from the power sector in advanced economies. The Agency gives credit to renewable sources such as wind and solar for this sudden decline. They also believe that economies choosing natural gas over coal has had a significant impact.
As global carbon emissions from coal declined by almost 1.3% (200 million tons), other emissions have increased from oil and natural gas. The USA saw its CO2 emissions peak in 2000 but since then have reduced emissions nearly a gigaton. Japan experienced its fastest pace of decline since 2009, with its energy-related CO2 emissions falling by 4.3%.
The European Union exhibited a drop by 160 megatons, which was mainly driven by switching from coal to gas in its power sector. Germany saw its emissions fall 8% to a total of 620 megatons, making it the leader in the decline of emissions in Europe. The last time Germany presented the same level of emissions was in the 1950s when their economy was ten times smaller than it is now.
While this is all excellent news, it doesn’t mean we should stop working toward more. We have to keep reducing the amount of carbon dioxide altering our environment. These facts are an excellent motivation to keep on moving because it is working, and we are getting results.
