Clean energy progress too slow to limit global warming - report

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

The development of low-carbon energy is progressing too slowly to limit global warming, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday.

With power generation still dominated by coal and governments failing to increase investment in clean energy, top climate scientists have said that the target of keeping the global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius this century is slipping out of reach.

"The drive to clean up the world's energy system has stalled," said Maria van der Hoeven, the IEA's executive director, at the launch of the agency's report on clean energy progress.

"Despite much talk by world leaders, and a boom in renewable energy over the past decade, the average unit of energy produced today is basically as dirty as it was 20 years ago."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/17/carbon-energy-warming-idINDEE93G03620130417

[Moostache]

1. I wish this was a surprise...

Sadly, we have missed the only chance we had to mitigate. If you are among the world's very poor, your life has already been cashed out and you have little to no chance.

But, hey, fear not - guys like Cline in West Virgina are using the money they made poisoning the planet and exploiting the future lives of billions to make tons of money and pursue high-priced women like Elin Nordegren:

http://www.eonline.com/news/397182/chris-cline-5-things-to-know-about-elin-nordegrens-billionaire-beau

Makes me feel all better...

[KurtNYC]

2. This ignores step 1

Step 1 is to reduce the amount of energy consumed in general; through efficiency, better design and monitoring. There was a drop in emissions when the world economy tanked in 2007/2008 but we need to de-couple energy use from economic health.

"development of low carbon energy" is a broad phrase. For example bicycles were developed over 100 years ago and are clearly low carbon and recently many cities have become more bike-friendly -- does that count as "development of low carbon energy" ? If not, then I think the issue is framed wrongly.

[limpyhobbler]

3. For climate change, it doesn't matter how much clean energy we have.

It only matters how much dirty energy we use, because that is what contributes to climate change.

We can build solar farms and windmills around the clock. But if we don't start slowing down coal and oil we are not making progress.

[Blue_Tires]

4. It's almost funny to see how much more seriously we take a mythical

potential zombie outbreak (i know it's the big fad now) as opposed to a real, clear danger...

[olddad56]

5. the story's headline almost makes it sound like global warming is the fault

of people trying to do something about it, and not doing it fast enough