Global Carbon dioxide emissions are 61 percent higher than in 1990 and still increasing at about 2 percent per year so renewable energy needs nuclear energy to help displace coal for the next one hundred years

Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels will rise to a record 36 billion metric tons (39.683 billion tons) this year, a report by 49 researchers from 10 countries said, showing the failure of governments to rein in the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

The report by the Global Carbon Project, which compiles data from research institutes worldwide each year, was published in the journal Earth Systems Data Discussions.

Its 2013 estimate represents a 2.1 percent gain versus 2012 and a 61 percent increase since 1990, the baseline year for the U.N.’s Kyoto Protocol, the only global agreement that places binding limits on national CO2 emission levels.

The report shows that the rate of growth in global CO2 emissions is down slightly on the previous year’s 2.2 percent increase but is only slightly lower than the average growth of 2.7 percent a year in the last 10 years.

Emissions are increasing because strong growth in coal consumption has outweighed any reductions from the rapid growth in renewable energy in recent years. Current trends indicate about 20 years to stopping the growth of carbon emissions. This would be at a level 30-40% higher than the level of today. Another fifteen years after that to bring the carbon emissions down to todays levels and another fifteen years to get it back to 1990 levels. Clearly if this is considered a problem then increasing nearly carbon free generation from nuclear power is needed to help renewables more rapidly bend the curve more rapidly.

The reports and slides for the report are here

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