ews though is that coal REALLY is on the way out! 2016 saw a worldwide 48% drop in pre-construction activity, a 62% drop in construction starts, and a 19% drop in ongoing construction.
And while Trump’s pro-coal policies may help keep a few coal power plants that were scheduled for phase-out in operation for a few years, it’s unlikely any new coal power plants will ever be built in the U.S. because coal power simply cannot compete with natural gas and renewable energy.
The ‘RENEWABLE’ HONEY BADGER doesn’t care!!
That’s because the transition to clean energy really is irreversible. “Although substantive action over time will be required to realize the vision of Paris, analysis of countries’ individual contributions suggests that meeting medium-term respective targets and increasing their ambition in the years ahead—coupled with scaled-up investment in clean-energy technologies—could increase the international community’s probability of limiting warming to 2°C by as much as 50%”. (Former U.S. President, Barack Obama).
Extending this positive, renewables narrative further, we can now apply a “carbon law” approach to rapidly reduce emissions. Recently, researchers, in the journal Science have argued that a carbon roadmap, driven by a simple rule of thumb or “carbon law” of halving emissions every decade, could catalyse disruptive innovation. Such a “carbon law”, based on Moore’s Law in the computer industry, applies to cities, nations and industrial sectors.
“We are already at the start of this trajectory. In the last decade, the share of renewables in the energy sector has doubled every 5.5 years. If doubling continues at this pace fossil fuels will exit the energy sector well before 2050,” says lead author Johan Rockström director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University.
If we are to escape the worst consequences of climate change then our hopes will be underpinned by the success of this carbon law approach. Otherwise, we will be forced to safeguard our survival in employing high risk alternatives linked to geoengineering – a harsh and distinct possibility that could materialize much sooner than people envisage.
For further details, please contact:
James D. Butler – Business Development Director
CLIMATE CHANGE – The New Economy
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