The world may be facing a vicious cycle in which extreme weather caused by climate change drives up energy use for heating and air conditioning, further increasing planet-warming emissions, BP has warned. The oil company said its analysis showed that global energy demand and emissions grew faster than expected last year, mainly due to “an unusually large number” of hot and cold days. BP said that it was possible this was just “random variation” in weather patterns but it could also be the case that there was “a link between the growing levels of carbon in the atmosphere and the types of weather patterns observed in 2018”. Spencer Dale, BP’s chief economist, said: “This would raise the possibility of a worrying vicious cycle: increasing levels of carbon leading to more extreme weather patterns, which in turn trigger stronger growth in energy and carbon emissions as households and businesses seek to offset their effects.”
Times 12th June 2019 read more »
Energy giant BP has warned efforts to tackle climate are losing steam after global carbon emissions grew unexpectedly and at their fastest pace in nearly a decade last year. Demand for energy increased by 2.9pc, while carbon emissions rose by 2pc in 2018, faster than at any time since 2010. There were 0.6 gigatonnes of emissions added to the air, which is roughly equivalent to increasing the number of passenger cars on the planet by a third.
Telegraph 11th June 2019 read more »
Carbon emissions from the global energy industry last year rose at the fastest rate in almost a decade after extreme weather and surprise swings in global temperatures stoked extra demand for fossil fuels. BP’s annual global energy report, an influential review of the market, revealed for the first time that temperature fluctuations are increasing the world’s use of fossil fuels, in spite of efforts to tackle the climate crisis. The recorded temperature swings – days which are much hotter or colder than normal – helped drive the world’s biggest jump in gas consumption for more than 30 years. They also resulted in a second consecutive annual increase for coal use, reversing three years of decline earlier this decade. Carbon emissions climbed by 2% in 2018, faster than any year since 2011, because the demand for energy easily outstripped the rapid rollout of renewable energy.
Guardian 11th June 2019 read more »
Independent 12th June 2019 read more »
FT 11th June 2019 read more »
To compensate for the UK’s contribution to global warming, alongside cuts to emissions, we need to plant some three billion trees by 2050. That means 90 million trees a year, which the government intends to accomplish by paying landowners to create new forests. Worldwide, this number rockets to 1.2 trillion trees to cancel out a decade of emissions. But global-scale reforestation is not without risks, particularly when it comes to biodiversity. To avoid even higher pressure on native ecosystems, governments and tree-planting organisations need to make sure they are planting the right trees, for the right reasons. This means addressing five issues.
Telegraph 12th June 2019 read more »