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In the past year, the US cut emissions more than the EU, while China is increasing them at an extreme rate.
President Donald Trump would likely scoff at the idea that he is a climate president and has actively advocated for the United States economy rather than climate agreements.
However, the latest figures show that the United States has significantly reduced its climate emissions in recent years.
According to the BP Statistical Review summary, which includes all climate emissions from energy, emissions in the US have increased from 5,485 million tons of CO2 in 2010 to 4,964 million tons in 2019, from 2018 to 2019 alone. , climate emissions were reduced by 3.0 percent.
In total, emissions in the US have fallen by 152 million tonnes between 2018 and 2019. In the EU, the corresponding figure has decreased by 136 million tonnes, although the US remains much higher in emissions per person.
It caused quite a stir after the Trump administration sent letters saying they were beginning the process of pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement. French President Emmanuel Macron reacted sharply to the US message, referring to the fact that cooperation with China will become increasingly important.
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So far, the Paris Agreement has not significantly helped Chinese emissions.
Because while the US accounts for 14.5 percent of global emissions in 2019, China now accounts for 28.3 percent of all emissions.
Thus, China is close to twice as many climate emissions as the United States.
66 times Norway
Since 2009, China has increased its emissions by 2,115 million tons of CO2. The increase in emissions to China alone corresponds to 66 times the climate emissions of Norway.
The United States has long depended on coal to provide enough energy. Since the financial crisis, coal consumption has fallen dramatically. It has been largely replaced by gas that has much lower emissions. At the same time, the share of renewable energy has also increased.
USA: The energy mix in the USA shows more and more gas and renewables, while coal is sinking like a rock.
Photo: IEA
In China the opposite has happened and coal consumption is increasing. In total, China now consumes more than seven times more coal than the United States.
Read more: China’s new superpower: spits out six times Norway’s total climate emissions
COAL: China’s huge energy growth comes almost exclusively from coal.
Photo: IEA
– I need a new president
The leader Marius Holm of the environmental foundation ZERO says that it is by no means a credit to Donald Trump that emissions are going down.
– The most important reason is that coal is overtaken by gas and renewables. Much of the reason it happens is competitiveness. But there is also a lot going on at the state level in the US, Holm tells Nettavisen.
Regardless of the president, the states themselves decide much of the policy.
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– There is a lot of climate policy at the state level, and also at the federal level, even if Trump tries otherwise. There are tax incentives for investing in renewable energy, and several states have introduced green certificate and quota systems, Holm says.
In China, emissions have continued to rise, and not long ago they announced the construction of a number of new coal-fired power plants.
– China’s coal power capacity utilization has fallen like a rock. With their system, they will likely continue to build coal-fired power plants long after it is unprofitable, Holm says.
NEW PRESIDENT: ZERO leader Marius Holm hopes that a new president in the United States will start global talks on climate emissions.
Photo: Paul Weaver
– What to do with China, which is increasing emissions so drastically?
– The most important thing is probably to get a new president in the United States so that we can have a global dialogue to do this together.
China has promised to peak climate emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060.
Read more: Giant climate project slaughtered: – Incredible waste of money with no climate effect
– But what counts is not just a sweet talk. EU President Ursula Van der Leyen has said China should start praising carbon in the industry. Otherwise, the EU will have to. With that threat, China will have to adapt, says Holm.
He believes that there is a green revolution on the way that will be as powerful as the industrial revolution and the digital revolution.
– China will have to do something. Because they have a great interest in stopping climate change. They are very exposed. Also, they have a lot of local pollution with coal energy that goes beyond people’s health. Industrially, they invest heavily in solar and battery technology, Holm says.
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