Great News on Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Europe

While the United States continues to debate initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union [EU] is making substantial headway toward its reduction goals.

European Environmental Agency: "The European Union continued to record substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions in 2020, posting an 11% drop compared to 2019, according to the latest official data published today by the European Environment Agency. The data confirms a 30-year downward trend which led to the EU achieving its 2020 target to reduce emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels."

Between 1990 and 2020, US emissions actually increased by 2%, although we did see some annual declines after 2005.

Key drivers that led to EU emission reductions include the growing use of renewables, the use of less carbon-intensive fossil fuels, and improvements in energy efficiency.

Denmark

Denmark represents is a good example of how EU nations have achieved greenhouse gas emission reductions over the last three decades. It has used wind energy to offset the decreased use of fossil fuels. Wind provided more than 100% of Denmark’s electricity consumption for two days in a row last month.

RenewEconomy.au: "WindEurope, the region’s leading wind energy trade association, tracks wind generation figures for Europe as well as hourly electricity figures for many European countries.

... Denmark generated 94.9GWh worth of wind energy on May 27, which represented 108.1% of the country’s power demand."

Unlike Europe, the United States probably won't ever achieve substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions until some crisis shocks the public into demanding public policy initiatives to address climate change. If history is any guide, many Americans will be debating the very existence of climate change right up to the moment it's impacting their lives. By then, however, it may be too late to avert the worst long-term consequences.

#environment

By: Don Lam & Curated Content