Saucier, The AAPG Explorer Correspondent, reported on May 1 (Part 1) and August 1 (Part 2), 2021 that in the quest to reach net-zero emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide by 2050, a longtime goal of the United States, other world governments and energy agencies, no one is even close to achieving it. Despite 2020’s largest decline in emissions as a result of less energy usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates “a rapid rebound in energy demand and emissions” this year. Furthermore, the EIA projects that by 2050, U.S. energy-related emissions will be 5-percent higher than 2020 levels. Globally, emissions also are expected to increase by at least 0.6 percent each year through 2050.
“What happens to energy demand and emissions in 2021 and beyond will depend on how much emphasis governments put on clean energy transitions in their efforts to boost their economies in the coming months,” the agency stated in a March 2 report titled, “Global Energy Review: Global Emissions in 2020.”In an effort to turn the emissions curve downward more quickly, President Joe Biden announced at the April 22 Leaders Summit on Climate that the United States should aim to cut 2005 level emissions (which peaked at just under 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide) by half by 2030. It’s a lofty goal, leaving many to question whether or not it’s doable.
