We are not doing well at the moment when it comes to reining in CO2 emissions. The BBC reports we have breached the 400ppm threshold. After punching through it in 2015, 2016 may see us above it for the entire year.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, 2016 may be the year we do not drop below that level.
Prior to 1800 atmospheric levels were around 280ppm, according to the US National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).
The WMO says that the rise through the 400ppm barrier has persisted and it's likely that 2016 will be the first full year when the measurements show CO2 above that benchmark, and "hence for many generations".
Other green house gases are also rising, though the international community is starting to move with a bit more speed. It’s also getting harder to ignore what’s happening — though some are making a determined effort to do so. Charles P. Pierce observes that deserts are expanding even as denialistas parrot their talking points. Pierces links to the NY Times:
Nearly 20 percent of China is desert, and drought across the northern region is getting worse. One recent estimate said China had 21,000 square miles more desert than what existed in 1975 — about the size of Croatia. As the Tengger expands, it is merging with two other deserts to form a vast sea of sand that could become uninhabitable.
Pierce looks at the U.S. reaction — or lack of same:
So all this is going on as we elect a president in a political system that so far has proven unable—and, sadly, unwilling—to confront the crisis head-on. It's a strange, huge issue that was barely mentioned in the four debates involving the people on the two major national tickets...
How will the world react as climate change makes resource allocation more difficult, especially when international cooperation can be problematic? Via the BBC, Central Asia shows what happens when the choice is between having enough water to grow crops, or using that same water to make power that can be sold to the highest bidders. This is an area where free market economics do not yield an easy solution.
In Central Asia, a crisis is brewing over water and electricity. The Soviet-era system in which the five countries of the region shared their resources has broken down, leaving some facing water shortages and others chronic power cuts. Instances of small-scale unrest have already occurred, but some warn this could be just the beginning.
But Wait — there is good news!
David Brancaccio at Marketplace.org has news from the International Energy Agency. Renewable energy is being installed at a faster rate than conventional energy; wind and solar have passed coal. As installations increase, the costs keep dropping. The audio at the Marketplace link starts with that story before moving onto other economic news.
While projects like wind farms and large solar arrays are important, smaller scale installations are also making a difference.
Led by the utility-scale segment, GTM Research forecasts 16 gigawatts (GW) of solar will be installed in the U.S. in 2016, more than doubling the record-breaking 7.3 GW installed in 2015.
While utility-scale installations will represent 74 percent of the installations for the year, the residential and commercial markets will also experience strong growth in 2016. In fact, the U.S. is on the verge of the 1 millionth solar installation milestone.
“This is a new energy paradigm and the solar industry officially has a seat at the table with the largest energy producers,” said SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. “Because of the strong demand for solar energy nationwide, and smart public policies like the ITC and NEM, hundreds of thousands of well-paying solar jobs will be added in the next few years benefiting both America’s economy and the environment.”
emphasis added
The bad news is, we haven’t turned things around yet. The good news is, our ability to do so continues to expand and it’s both good for the economy and job creation. To those who say we can’t do anything, that it’s too late, that it’s too expensive, that it kills jobs, that it’s all a hoax — you’re the only thing holding us back. It can be done. It must be done.