The planet will record this year the largest annual drop in CO ₂ emissions in history

Energy-related carbon dioxide (_CO2) emissions and the burning of fossil fuels are on track to record the biggest drop in history this year.

The impact caused by the pandemic and the collapse of activities (industry, transport …) will cause a reduction in emissions of 2,000 million tons of _C02, which represents 5% of the gases emitted in 2019.

This is indicated by a report by the Carbon Brief think tank, which manages a compendium of studies and analyses.

Previous estimates were for this year an increase in _CO2 emissions (main greenhouse gas) of 1%. But the forecasts have blown up.

The shuffled decreases are so enormous that they would lead to the largest annual drop in _CO2 in the history of human activity, despite the fact that the documentary information dates back to the eighteenth century.

Until now, the largest annual reduction had been that of 845 million tons of _CO2 that occurred in the period 1944-45, in the Second World War.

There have been other marked collapses, but none like this one

There have been other marked collapses, such as the recession period (1991-1992), the energy crisis (1980-1981), the Spanish flu (1918-1919) or the financial crisis of 2008-09, although that episode was more than compensated a year later with an increase in emissions (1,612 million tons of CO₂) as a result of economic stimuli that did not take into account the subsequent climate impacts of these measures.

However, this cut should be put into context.

Several UN reports have indicated that global emissions would have to fall by 7.6% each year in this decade (2.8 billion tons of CO).₂ in 2020), to stop the increase in temperatures and get them to rise less than 1.5 Cº (above those of pre-industrial times).

The authors of the study make their forecasts aware of the multiple unknowns surrounding the situation.

The expected fall in oil demand of 9.3% is joined by the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have increased their production (which lowers prices).

Internal flights in the EU increased by 28% in just six years, but today they have plummeted

One of the sectors that has been most convulsed is aviation, whose _CO2 emissions grew last year by 1.5% in Europe, according to data released the day before yesterday by the EU. This increase contrasts with the performance of the other sectors of emissions trading (energy and large industry) which decreased by 8.9%.

The result is that _CO2 emissions from Europe’s internal flights have increased by 27.6% since 2013, far exceeding those of any other mode of transport.

However, “the trend to increase emissions in airlines will resume as soon as the crisis is resolved; unless governments act to control it,” said Andrew Murphy, spokesman for Transport and Environment (T&E), a federation of European NGOs.

For example, Ryanair – which increased them by 5.9% on flights within Europe – became again in 2019 one of the ten most important CO2 emitting foci in the EU, along with coal plants, something that happened for the first time last year.

NGOs ask airlines for environmental commitments in exchange for rescue

T&E notes that governments should support aviation workers during the current crisis, but they demand that the rescue of these companies be conditional on them paying taxes and starting to introduce clean technologies and fuels.

On the other hand, Ecologists in Action opposes the millionaire bailouts of airlines with public funds,” says Nuria Blázquez.

In Europe, there is strong demand to end airlines’ tax exemption and the emission permits they receive in the emissions trading system. The European Commission said earlier this month it was exploring the need for airlines to start using cleaner fuels.

Taxpayers’ money should only be used if these big polluters commit to the EU’s Green Deal

Andrew Murphy concluded: “Governments should act to protect airline jobs but also to initiate the just transition for aviation.

Taxpayers’ money should only be used if these big polluters commit to the EU’s Green Deal, including starting to pay taxes and consume greener fuels.”

Meanwhile, the Observatory of Sustainability of Spain has prepared a report on the large facilities that emit CO2 in Spain that confirms the lower contribution that coal thermal plants had last year.

Sustainability Observatory Report

Five of the ten main focuses of _C02 in Spain correspond to the electricity sector

Even so, five of the ten main focuses of _C02 in Spain correspond to the electricity sector.

The great novelty of this year’s ranking is that (compared to what used to be traditional) the list of these great “polluters” is not headed by a coal-fired power plant, but by the steel company Arcelor Mittal Spain (from Asturias, with 5.09 million tons of _CO2).

It is followed by the Aboño thermal power plant (EDP, in Asturias, with 4.85 million TCO2), the Repsol refinery in Cartagena (2.39 million) and the as Pontes thermal power plant in Endesa (A Coruña, 2.31 million), which occupied the first position on the list the previous year. The other great novelty are the emissions of Vueling, a company that goes from the twelfth to the fifth position (2.1 million), and which occupies the fifth place.

Next are the Petronor refinery (Repsol, with 2.14 million TCO2), the Tarragona refinery (2.13 million), endesa’s Alcúdia thermal power plant in Mallorca (1.95 million), Granadilla thermal power plant (Endesa’s Canary Islands, 1.75 million), and Arcos’ combined cycle plant (Iberdrola’s Cádiz, with 1.69 million).

These ten companies contribute 8% of Spain’s total emissions

The CO2 emissions of large Spanish industries subject to the emission rights market (thermal, steel, glass refining…), which represent 36% of the _CO2 emitted in Spain, fell last year by 13% compared to 2018 (while globally emissions fell by 5.8%).

This was due to coal’s lower share of electricity production, and the decline in cement and refining plants. On the other hand, emissions from the aviation sector increased (by 5%)

Source: The Vanguard