For the first time in 40 years, global carbon emissions suspended their skyward climb in 2014, despite rising economic growth.
The International Energy Agency said it was the only year in its four decades of tracking emissions when a decline wasn’t linked to a global recession. A slowdown in China’s coal-belching and a rise in that nation’s use of renewables were largely responsible for the drop. (Side note: 2014 was also a record-breaking year for the U.S. solar industry, which saw capacity surge 30 per cent over 2013).
In a statement, IEA chief economist Fatih Birol said the numbers provide “much-needed momentum to negotiators preparing to forge a global climate deal in Paris in December. For the first time, greenhouse gas emissions are decoupling from economic growth.” The agency’s executive director, Maria Van Der Hoeven, however, cautioned that the positive news must not be used as an excuse for complacency, especially since the rise of cheap oil is expected to precipitate a GHG spike in 2015.
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