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BY PAUL ROLFE

You're watching multisource video Environment news analysis at Newsy.

Good news and bad news for climate change. A new study from the Global Carbon Project says carbon emissions fell 1.3 percent between 2008 and 2009 due to the recession. But as the world economy recovers, ABC Australia says 2010 will bring a new high in carbon emissions.

“Well in 2010 we expect emissions to revert to the significant growth rates that they’ve shown for most of the past decade. Growth rates on the order of 3 percent per year or a little more. And the main reason for that is continuing economic growth."


The decrease in emissions was the first in more than a decade. Lead author of the study Pierre Friedlingstein says there is a close link between the world's gross domestic product and emissions of carbon dioxide. But he tells the BBC, the drop in emissions was lower than expected.

“Based on GDP projections last year, we were expecting much more... If you think about it, it's like four days' worth of emissions; it's peanuts.”

In the U.S. emissions dropped about 7 percent, while in emerging economies like China emissions rose 8 percent, effectively canceling each other out. But Business Green says this doesn’t mean we should blame China.

“...increases in Chinese and Indian emissions are partly due to developed countries 'exporting' their manufacturing sector to developing markets.”


Here’s a slice of good news -- emissions from deforestation were down by 27 percent since 2000. Dan Lashof from the National Resource Defense Council gives USA Today some more reasons for the decrease in carbon.

“...Concerted efforts to limit and reduce carbon emissions and invest in clean energy in countries such as Germany and the U.K. could be paying dividends.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience one week before the U.N. climate talks begin in Cancun, Mexico. And according to the BBC, the strong link between the economy and climate change may be a focus for the talks.
 

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