December 20, 2019
APOCALYPSE NEVER:
We're Getting a Clearer Picture of the Climate Future -- and It's Not as Bad as It Once Looked (David Wallace-Wells, 12/20/19, New York)
A few weeks ago, the International Energy Agency released its annual World Energy Outlook 2019. The IEA is not known to be optimistic, at least to climate advocates, who have, for years, mocked its projections for future renewable growth: Every year, the agency basically predicts a plateau for renewable use, and every year renewables keep dramatically growing. This made the most noteworthy prediction in this year's report even more so. According to the IEA report, given only current carbon policies, which nearly everyone studying climate considers terribly weak, the world is on track for as little as 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100 -- about one and a half degrees less warming than is suggested by the U.N.'s IPCC reports in what is often referred to as the "business as usual" "RCP8.5" scenario.
Posted by Orrin Judd at December 20, 2019 4:27 PM