Carbon emissions usually refer to the man-made production of a series of gases that contribute to climate change. And this news report shows how carbon emissions are strongly linked to economic growth. However, I feel 3 per cent is a very conservative figure.

Man-made greenhouse gas emissions will drop 3% in 2009 largely because of the worldwide financial crisis, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today.

Three-quarters of the reduction has been the result of less industrial activity, with the rest coming from countries turning to renewable energyand nuclear power.

But the world’s premier energy analysts calculated that to avoid dangerous climate change, countries around the world will have to spend $400bn a year building more than 350 new nuclear plants and 350,000 wind turbines in the next 20 years. They also estimate that by 2020, three-fifths of cars will need to use alternatives to the traditional internal combustion engine.

The findings came in a special extract of the IEA’s forthcoming annual world energy outlook report, published at the UN climate talks in Bangkok.

The emissions cuts, only the fourth in the last 50 years, provide countries with a unique chance to switch to less carbon-intensive energy sources, said the IEA’s chief economist, Fatih Birol.

Read the rest of the article here>>>