On March 13th 2015 the International Energy Agency reported that growth in global carbon dioxide emissions was held at bay in 201; global emissions stood at 32.3 billion tonnes, unchanged from the preceding year. This, while the economy grew by 3%. The Paris-based organisation says that in the 40 years it has been collecting data on carbon dioxide emissions, annual emissions have only stalled or fallen three other times. Prior to this year’s numbers, declines in CO2 emissions had always been associated with global economic downturn. The IEA credits reduced use of coal fired electricity in China and the accelerated adoption of renewables in OECD countries for this turn of events. This decoupling of economic growth from carbon is significant.
The IEA is not the only organization singing a happy tune. Al Gore and Climate Reality, the organization he leads, are also pointing to the rapid ascent of renewable energy as reason for optimism. His latest slide deck spreads a hopeful message about humanity’s ability to turn the tide on global warming through the expanded deployment of wind and solar. Mr. Gore has seen support for his views rising within the business community: Investment in renewable energy sources is skyrocketing as their costs plummet. Indeed, the amount of energy produced from wind and solar has surpassed predictions made in the early 2000s.
Al Gore is also full of praise for President Obama’s renewed action on climate change. He credits Obama for taking a stronger stance since his re-election, delivering tougher carbon emission regulations and a major climate agreement with China. “He’s doing a terrific job on it now,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of work to do… [but] we’re going to win this.”