Very interesting data in the news this week, but it is not getting a lot of coverage in WV.
The International Energy Agency reports that greenhouse gas emissions from energy in 2014 were stable, compared to 2013, even though the global economy expanded by 3 %?. This marks the first time in 40 years of monitoring that stalled emissions growth occurred in the absence of economic recessions, and gives hope that greenhouse gas reduction efforts are more successful than many had expected.
Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014
http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2015/march/global-energy-related-e...
The same IEA report suggested that China played a big part, and reduced their coal consumption by 2.9 % last year, and intends to boost non-fossil energy capacity to 15 % of consumption by 2020.
China's coal consumption dropped almost 3 % in 2014
http://rt.com/business/238301-china-energy-pollution-coal/
This does NOT mean that coal is finished, or that West Virginia's "Slaves to Coal" (AKA the WV Legislature) won't do incredible destruction to our economy, our environment, or to local communities as the industry goes through the inevitable death throes.
Jim Kotcon