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Comment on ‘Global Carbon Budget 2016’

Posted on 14 Nov 2016 in

Commenting on the publication today by the journal ‘Earth System Science Data’ of a paper on ‘Global Carbon Budget 2016’ by Corinne LeQuéré and co-authors, Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said:

“These results suggest that annual emissions of carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change, may have peaked. While there are many reasons why the growth in emissions has been halted, a key contribution has been the efforts made by the world’s two biggest emitters, the United States and China, to reduce the consumption of coal. However, Donald Trump as President could undermine this achievement if he carries through with his threat to scrap the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, and encourages an increase in the use of coal for electricity generation. If that happens, carbon dioxide emissions from the United States will likely begin to rise again, increasing the risks to homes and businesses all around the world of potentially catastrophic climate change.”

For more information about this media release, please contact Bob Ward r.e.ward@lse.ac.uk.

 

NOTES FOR EDITORS

  1. The ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (http://www.cccep.ac.uk/) is hosted by the University of Leeds and the London School of Economics and Political Science. It is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (http://www.esrc.ac.uk/). The Centre’s mission is to advance public and private action on climate change through rigorous, innovative research.

 

  1. The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (http://www.lse.ac.uk/grantham) was launched at the London School of Economics and Political Science in October 2008. It is funded by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (http://www.granthamfoundation.org/).