Page 28 - AT

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 5 december 2019
Global carbon pollution continues to rise, but more slowly

By SETH BORENSTEIN “I don’t think we have
AP Science Writer completely seen the end
WASHINGTON (AP) — The of coal yet, but it is cer-
world continues to in- tainly in the death throes,”
crease the amount of Peters said.
heat-trapping carbon di- “Though, I would imagine
oxide it pumps into the air, a slow and protracted de-
but it’s not rising as fast as in cline of coal because of
the previous couple years. the young infrastructure in
Led by big jumps from Chi- Asia.” But with coal drop-
na and India, the world is ping or even just plateau-
projected to spew 40.57 ing, it is now apparent that
billion tons (36.8 billion met- the world is not quite on
ric tons) of carbon dioxide the worst-case scenario
into the air in 2019. That’s carbon emissions path of
up nearly 255 million tons the four charted by the
(231 million metric tons) UN’s Intergovernmental
from 2018, according to Panel on Climate Change,
two scientific studies re- Peters said. But the next
leased Tuesday. two highest emission sce-
The studies by Global narios, which the world is
Carbon Project, a group closer to, are not “pleasant
of international scientists worlds to live in,” he said.
who track emissions, show Princeton University cli-
a 0.6% increase from last mate scientist Michael Op-
year. penheimer, who wasn’t
In previous years, global In this Nov. 28, 2019 file photo, smoke and steam rise from a coal processing plant that produces part of the study, called
carbon dioxide emissions carbon black, an ingredient in steel manufacturing, in Hejin in central China’s Shanxi Province. the numbers grim: “Step-
grew by 2.1% and 1.5% Associated Press ping back and looking at
after a few years in the The 2019 estimate is based “Generally, I think this is 2.6% from cleaner natural 30 years of data, there is
mid 2010s when global on data through the first bad news. gas, according to the stud- nothing at all that reveals
emissions barely rose, ac- nine to ten months of the Not terrible news, but bad ies. any reason to be optimistic
cording to the studies in year, with a few national news,” said Cornell Univer- Coal still is the No. 1 source that the world is about to
Environmental Research estimates based only on sity climate scientist Nata- of man-made carbon pol- turn the corner on reduc-
Letters. Carbon dioxide six months of data, said lie Mahowald, who wasn’t lution putting 16 billion tons ing carbon dioxide emis-
from the burning of coal, co-author Glen Peters, a part of the report. (14.6 billion metric tons) of sions.” From 2000 to 2018,
oil and gas has caused climate scientist in Nor- “A stronger switch from carbon dioxide in the air the United Kingdom has
1.8 degrees of warming (1 way. Past projections have coal to solar or wind needs this year, followed by oil cut its carbon pollution by
degree Celsius) since pre- proven pretty accurate, to happen to reach low cli- and then gas. Coal gener- about one-third, Greece
industrial times and world he said. mate targets.” ally emits 76% more carbon and Italy cut their emissions
leaders are meeting in That means every second Led by 10% drops in both dioxide than natural gas to by more than 28%. At the
Madrid to try to limit warm- this year people put 2.57 the United States and Eu- produce the same amount same time, China’s carbon
ing to another 1.8 degrees million pounds of carbon rope, carbon pollution from of energy, according to pollution has tripled and
from now. dioxide in Earth’s atmo- coal dropped worldwide the U.S. Energy Information India’s has increased by
“Emissions grew more slow- sphere. That’s the equiva- nearly 1% but increased Administration. 157%. q
ly than last year but we lent weight of two Airbus
still set a global record. It’s A380s, the world’s largest SpaceX delays space station
hard to be upbeat about passenger airliner, going
that,” said study co-author into the air every second. delivery due to high wind
Rob Jackson, a Stanford Both the United States and
University climate scientist. the European Union saw MARCIA DUNN
“The U.S. National Acad- emissions drop 1.7% from AP Aerospace Writer
emy of Sciences sounded 2018 to 2019, but China CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
the alarm on carbon and saw a 2.6% increase and (AP) — SpaceX has de-
climate 40 years ago. India had a 1.8% rise. Chi- layed its delivery to the In-
Since then, global carbon na is by far the biggest car- ternational Space Station
dioxide emissions have bon polluter, with 28% of because of dangerous
doubled, and the world the 2019 emissions. wind gusts.
is hurtling towards cata- The United States is No. 2 at The Falcon 9 rocket came
strophic climate change.” 14.5%. less than an hour from
launching Wednesday. A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket on a resupply mission to the
But the company halted International Space Station stands ready for launch at Space
the countdown because Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Staton in
of excessive upper-level Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
wind at Cape Canaveral Associated Press
and also out in the Atlan-
tic. SpaceX wants to land afternoon. While the wind mice' for a muscle and
the brand new booster on should be calmer, it may bone study and barley
an offshore barge follow- be cloudier. for a beer-malting experi-
ing liftoff so it can be re- The Dragon capsule con- ment. This will be the third
used. SpaceX said it would tains 3 tons of supplies for trip to the space station for
try again early Thursday NASA, including 'mighty this recycled Dragon.q