BBC World Service Newshour: with Julian Marshall interviews Mary Robinson, Lord Stern and Stephen Tindale about the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that Energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions in 2010 were the highest in history.
BBC World Service – Newshour: Julian Marshall interviews Mary Robinson, Lord Stern and Stephen Tindale about the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history.
Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, according to the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
After a dip in 2009 caused by the global financial crisis, emissions are estimated to have climbed to a record 30.6 Gigatonnes (Gt), a 5% jump from the previous record year in 2008, when levels reached 29.3 Gt.
“This significant increase in CO2 emissions and the locking in of future emissions due to infrastructure investments represent a serious setback to our hopes of limiting the global rise in temperature to no more than 2ºC,” said Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the IEA who oversees the annual World Energy Outlook, the Agency’s flagship publication.
Discussing the report’s findings with Julian Marshall on BBC World Service: Newshour, Mary Robinson stated:
“I think this report is the kind of wake-up call we needed…the fact that the chief economist and others in the IEA are shocked at…the volume of greenhouse gas emissions is I hope going to remind us that we have a huge responsibility.”
“We need now to focus on what is going to happen as we prepare for the Durban COP 17.”