UK ranked most energy efficient of world's largest economies

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

It lacks the glitz or glamour of the Olympics but the UK won a race that really does matter on Thursday, taking the gold in energy efficiency.

A report launched in Washington by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy on Thursday ranked the UK first among the world's 12 largest economies for reducing pollution in industry, transport, and buildings.

Medal power house America was humbled, dragged down to ninth place because of its long-running love affair with gas-guzzling cars.

The US was beaten by Germany and Italy, who occupied second and third place respectively, and even China, which is currently the world's biggest carbon polluter.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/12/uk-ranked-most-energy-efficient

[happyslug]

1. The Acutal American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Report

http://www.aceee.org/press/2012/07/aceee-united-kingdom-tops-energy-eff


On a scale of 100 possible points in 27 categories, the nations were ranked by ACEEE as follows: (1) the United Kingdom; (2) Germany; (3) Italy; (4) Japan; (5) France; (6) the European Union, Australia, and China (3-way tie); (9) the U.S.; (10) Brazil; (11) Canada; and (12) Russia.

ACEEE divided the 27 metrics across four groupings: those that track cross-cutting aspects of energy use at the national level, as well as the three sectors primarily responsible for energy consumption in an economically developed country—buildings, industry, and transportation. The top-scoring countries in each grouping are: Germany (national efforts); China (buildings); the United Kingdom (industry); and a tie among Italy, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom (transportation).

[Psephos]

2. Yet the US is currently #1 in total CO2 reductions.

Last year, the US matched 1996 levels, and this year is expected to match 1990 levels. This is largely due to a substantial switchover from coal to natural gas for electricity production, which burns much more cleanly. In Europe, coal use has gone up, not down, and this trend is expected to continue. Natural gas in the U.S. is less than a quarter the cost of natural gas in Europe.

http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec12_3.pdf

http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2012/may/name,27216,en.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. That's a reduction from an amount that had grown since 1990

Many European countries have already reduced their emissions since 1990 (in the UK, largely because of a 'dash for gas' that took place over a decade ago). The UK in 2009 was 73% of the base Kyoto year (1990)

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php?title=File:Total_EU27_greenhouse_gas_emissions_trend,_1990-2009_%281990%3D100%29.png&filetimestamp=20110624094542

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Climate_change_statistics

Provisional 2011 UK figures are 456.3 MT CO2 (1990=590.3 MT), and 549.3 MT for all greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalent) (1990=766.4 MT) http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_stats/data/data.aspx

[Psephos]

8. Nonetheless, it is the best overall reduction rate among countries. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Only in the last few years

Since 1990 - the base Kyoto year - the US emissions are still up, while the UK's, Germany's, France's and Italy's are all down.

On edit: admittedly, that is emissions for each country, where a per capita measurement might be fairer, since the USA's population is growing more than western European countries. This says per capita figures for 1990-2010 are:

USA: -14%
Germany: -22%
UK: -21%
Italy -9%
France: -15%
EU-15 average: -13%

So, per capita, the USA has done about the same as the average of western European countries. The absolute per capita figures for 2010 are : US: 16.9 tonnes CO2; EU-15: 7.9.

[Psephos]

11. Seems like a lot of maneuvering to avoid saying this isn't such a bad thing. :)

When I come upon mild evidence of a change in ways, I think better of the sinner, and am thankful for the reversal, whatever its provenance.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. The US produces nearly 2x the CO2 per capita of the UK

also, the UK is not Europe, major investments in offshore wind turbines etc mean the UK will be less reliant on coal than say Germany.

[Psephos]

7. I posted about relative reductions in CO2 production.

No country has made a bigger reduction.

[dipsydoodle]

9. Thats aggregate : not / capita.

.

[Psephos]

12. However, aggregate, not per-capita, has the largest global impact...

...when dealing with the #2 C02-emitting country.

Which I am not afraid to describe as a modestly pleasant bit of news.

[primavera]

4. The US' "long-running love affair with gas guzzling cars"

Medal power house America was humbled, dragged down to ninth place because of its long-running love affair with gas-guzzling cars.

Can't be - even DUers insist that their choice to drive whatever vehicle they like is of no concern to anyone else. Obviously some bogus study.

[4th law of robotics]

6. A substantially higher population density does wonders

for things like public transportation.