Worst Ever Carbon Emissions Leave Climate on the Brink

Record levels of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2010, as estimated by the International Energy Agency, could dash hopes of controlling climate change, reports Fiona Harvey for the Guardian. The IEA also notes that global recession did little to dent reliance on fossil fuels. Governments, by allowing emissions to rise, cannot hope to prevent average global temperature rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius. “Last year, a record 30.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide poured into the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuel – a rise of 1.6Gt on 2009, according to estimates from the IEA,” Harvey reports. The warnings from economists are dire, with predictions of food and water shortages, mass migrations and rising conflict. Most of the rise comes from developing nations, following the lead of the US and many other economic powers in subsidizing fossil fuels and rejecting the need for conservation or development of alternatives. – YaleGlobal