Reducing Carbon Emissions Requires a United Global Effort

As nations, states, cities and civic leaders work to combat climate change by reducing emissions, emerging nations work against them. The United States and the EU have made modest improvements in carbon emission reduction, but those gains have been offset by drastic increases by China and India. Shockingly, China has more coal-fired power under construction than is operating across all of Europe, according to Bloomberg.

It’s not all gloom though. China is in the process of switching to market-based energy providers, moving away from a heavily regulated system that controlled price and generation. The low cost of renewable power, cheaper than traditional forms, could have a drastic effect across China. Ultimately, much will depend on China’s 14th 5-Year Plan, set to be enacted in 2021. A commitment from China to sustainability could rapidly reverse the country’s carbon emissions course.

Experts fear any improvements will be too little too late. If we’re to avoid the feared two-degree-celsius rise, renewable energy projects will need to be implemented at a rapid fire pace in China, India, and across the globe. As emerging superpowers with rapidly growing populations and power needs, conversions to sustainable forms of energy will struggle to keep pace.

Read the full article: Bloomberg “Climate Change Hangs on China’s Embrace of Markets”