DOE reports unprecedented leap in manmade emissions

Just when I was starting to feel optimistic about the nascent efforts by the corporate world to clean up its act with respect to carbon dioxide emissions, the Department of Energy has reported what amounts to the biggest single-year increase in fossil-fuel carbon emissions.

Preliminary national estimates by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (click on the link that says Preliminary 2009 & 2010 Global & National Estimates)suggest that 512 million MORE metric tons were thrown into the atmosphere around the world in 2010, which was up 6 percent from 2009 and is the largest increase on record. In fact, the amount of that increase is so big that it dwarves the individual emissions of every country, expect China, India and the United States. China and the United States contributed more than half the overall expansion.

One of the scientists speaking to the Associated Press described the increase as a "monster" one. What's more, the reality of the emissions now being produced around the globe has surpassed the worst case scenarios dreamed up by climate scientists four years ago.

It seems sort of ironic that the world could produce this much extra manmade carbon dioxide during a year in which certain regions of the world economy have stagnated. We can be reasonably sure that there will be adjustments to these numbers. But for those of you fighting the fight when it comes to carbon and energy management within your company, it's apparently time to step up the attack.

(via the Associated Press)

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com