U.S. President Obama and Chinese Premier Xi signed a bilateral agreement today to reduce CO2 production. The two leaders agreed that China would be able to continue to increase their CO2 output until the year 2030, while the US would immediately start reducing its CO2 production, targeting a reduction of ca. 26% by the year 2025.
At first glance this seems like a wonderful development. Surely less CO2 is just what the world needs----and if significant CO2 reductions can be mandated in meetings like this, then hopefully the larger world can agree on a more comprehensive approach to CO2 reduction at the next UN climate conference scheduled for Paris in 2016. And, best of all, if big enough CO2 reductions result from this agreement, then perhaps we don't even need to consider geoengineering to counteract Greenhouse Warming, and I can stop writing this blog.
Perhaps its time to declare victory and yell "Hooray we're saved!"
Or perhaps not.
Lets look a little bit more closely at this deal. First of all, the way this deal is structured means that absolutely no net reduction in CO2 emissions will result from this agreement. Even if the US meets its goal, the agreement allows China to continue to grow their CO2 emissions, and these are growing fast. In fact, China is adding the equivalent of the entire American economy in terms of CO2 emissions every 7-10 years. By 2025 any US cuts in CO2 output will be swamped by a huge increase in Chinese CO2 emissions.
This actually isn't a deal that cuts CO2 emissions. This is a deal that allows a huge INCREASE in global CO2 emissions.
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