IRENA has updated their annual detailed study on the cost of utility-scale power generation at a global level based on renewable resources. The report shows a continuing decreasing trend in LCOE (levelised cost of electricity, which includes financial costs, operations, management etc) for renewable power generation: New solar and wind power plants are now less expensive than most coal-fired plants. Since 2010, the cost of utility scale solar power has decreased by 85% and the cost of on-shore wind has decreased by 56% with continuing price reduction expected.
According to IRENA, the comparable costs for newly commissioned fossil fuel based power plants varies from 0.055 $/kWh to 0.148 $/kWh.
According to the International Energy Agency IEA , global oil demand will reach 104 million barrels per day in 2026. The growth in demand will come from emerging and developing countries, with Asian oil demand increasing sharply. OECD demand is not expected to return to pre-Covid levels.
Ourworldindata has an excellent article based on Poore and Nemecek 2018, based on data from 38000 farms in 119 countries. This is the most thorough analysis of farming and green house gas emissions to date.
The data represents global averages, hence there may be significant local differences. Interestingly, at a global level transport represents a small amount of the GHG emissions.
The data also shows that nuts and a few other foods have a negative land use change figure, as carbon is stored in the trees. Most other food sources require deforestation.
Data is reported as greenhouse gas emissions in kilograms of CO2-equivalents per 1 kilogram of food product.
According to research by K.L.Law et.al. the top plastic waste producing countries in the world are USA and United Kingdom. USA generates 130 kg plastic waste per person every year - this is about 2.5 kg per person per week.
While EU citizens generate less than half of the waste compared to Americans, it is still more than 1 kg per week for every person. India and China are also big polluters, but not on a per capita basis with about 20 kg and 16 kg per person per year.
OECD/FAO agricultural outlook shows how meat consumption is increasing globally. The reduction in consumption in 2019 is due to the African Swine Fever outbreak in Asia.
Consumption data is reported in kilograms per capita, using ready-to-cook retail weight.
OECD/FAO agricultural outlook shows how western countries consume far more meat than the world average. Top meat consuming countries are USA, Israel, Argentina, Australia with 90-100 kg meat per capita per year. Argentina is the top beef-consuming country with almost 40 kg beef per capita. Israel is top poultry consumer with 64 kg per capita.
Consumption data is reported in kilograms per capita, using ready-to-cook retail weight.
A 2020 report from EMA shows that sales of antibiotics declined by 34% between 2011 and 2018. Figures are reported as 'mg per PCU', where 1 PCU is a metric ton of slaughtered animals (includes farmed fish).
Usage of antibiotics varies widely between countries.
A 2019 report from Eindhoven University 2019 shows that battery electric cars have significantly lower CO2 emissions compared to similar fossil-fueled cars over their lifetime using the EU electricity mix.
The report assumes that the cars are driven 250.000 km in their lifetime.
The report assumes an EU electricity mix is used, but also that this electricity mix will continue its trend towards lower CO2 emissions. The Polestar report below does not make this assumption, and probably overestimates the emissions of electric cars.
In their own 2019 report, Polestar says that the Polestar 2 BEV (battery electric vehicle) has lower CO2 emissions during its lifetime than a Volvo XC40 ICE (internal combustion engine).
Assumptions in the report: Cars are driven 200.000 km in their lifetime. Chinese electricity mix is used for Polestar 2 manufacturing. Polestar battery cells are manufactured in China and Korea. Emissions for the XC40 includes 'well-to-tank' related emissions for petrol/gasoline.
The report finds that if the electricity is generated by wind power then the Polestar generates less than half of the CO2 emissions of an XC40 petrol/gasoline powered car. If the electricity is generated using an EU electricity mix then the emissions savings over the lifetime of the car is about 27%
This chart shows the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI) as estimated by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. If Bitcoin power consumption is 120 TWh per year, this is almost 0.5% of global electricity generation which was about 25 000 TWh in 2018 (see another chart on this page).
This chart is updated daily.
The HadCRUT4 dataset from Climatic Research Unit, Univ of East Anglia and Hadley Centre (UK Met Office) shows the same trend. Note that the HadCRUT dataset refers to the average of 1961-1990, so it is slightly offset compared to the NASA dataset. This chart is updated monthly.
The UAH datset from NSSTC, University of Alabama uses 1981-2010 as the reference so it offset from the other datasets, but is shows a similar increase in global temperatures.
The Global E-Waste Statistics Partnership has published the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020 which shows that in 2019, the world generated 53.6 million tons of e-waste, or 7.3 kg of e-waste per person on earth.
The amount of e-waste generated has grown by 20% since 2014, and is expected to keep growing. Rich countries generate more e-waste per person than poor countries, with Norway generating the most. About 17.4%of all e-waste is documented to be recycled, unchanged since 2014.
This chart uses data from the Oxfam and Stockholm Environment Institute joint research report on how CO2 emissions are distributed between income groups.
The report shows that over the period from 1990 to 2015, the top 10% richest people on earth were responsible for more than half (52%) of all CO2 emitted in the period. The poorest 50% contributed only 7% of cumulative emissions. The middle 40% income group were behind 41% of all CO2 emissions.
This chart uses data from World Resources Institute and shows which sectors greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N20, etc) emissions originate from.
WRI provides an even more detailed analysis into each sector. As an example, while 15.9% of emissions are from transport, road transport is by far the largest contributor (11.9%) with air transport at 1.9% and ship at 1.7%. Rail contributes only 0.4%
A report from the US Energy Information Administration has estimated the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) generation for new plants coming online in the United States in 2025. LCOE includes all aspects of building and running plants such as financial costs, fuel, operations, management and more.
Photovoltaic solar plants will be the least expensive, with roughly the same costs as geothermal, combined cycle natural gas, and onshore wind turbines.
Coal-fired plants will remain an expensive option. As another post on our site shows, offshore wind costs are decreasing rapidly but remain high in the near term.
IRENA has published a detailed study on the cost of utility-scale power generation at a global level based on renewable resources. The report shows a clear trend in LCOE (levelised cost of electricity, which includes financial costs, operations, management etc) for renewable power generation: New solar and wind power plants are now less expensive than most coal-fired plants. Since 2019, the cost of utility scale solar power has decreased by 82%
According to IRENA, the comparable costs for fossil fuel based power plants varies from 0.05 $/kWh (new Chinese coal-fired plants located close to coal mines) to 0.177 $/kWh.
The chart uses data from NOAA ESRL Global Monitoring Division, Boulder, Colorado, USA and shows the atmospheric CO2 levels for each of the last 10 years. Ever since measurements started there has been a consistent increase in atmospheric CO2 of about 0.5 - 0.6% per year.
The atmospheric CO2 levels continues increasing year over year, as indicated by the upper line in the chart. This chart is updated daily based on measurements from the Mauna Loa Observatory.
In these charts, Northern America consists of USA, Canada, Greenland, Bermuda and St Pierre and Miquelon. Latin America consists of all countries south of the USA, including the Caribbean countries.
The charts show the number of deaths per day averaged over the last seven days.
This chart is updated every 24 hours.This chart is updated every 24 hours. JHU CSSE updates their data around midnight UTC, this chart is automatically updated shortly thereafter.
38% of resources are used for buildings, 21% for food and drink, 9-10% each for transport, healthcare and services, 7% for consumables such as clothing and other stuff, and 5% for communication.
In the end, 55% is wasted (either in the environment or collected) and 14% goes up in smoke. The rest, about 31% is in use. About 8% is recovered or reused.
In other words, poor regions with low emissions end up in the lower left hand corner, while rich regions with high emissions are in the top right hand corner.
Notice the
saw-tooth pattern
in the chart:
There are more forests in the Northern
hemisphere than in the Southern hemisphere. During the
northern winter, the forests release CO2 to the atmospere.
When spring comes in the north, forests starts consuming CO2 as part of photosynthesis
and this reduces the level in the atmosphere.
The chart is updated monthly.
The Law Dome data set shows how atmospheric CO2 levels started rising sharply in the second half of the 1800's, when fossil fuels started powering the industrial revolution.
By combining the "Vostok" dataset with the Mauna Loa dataset, we clearly see the sharp increase in CO2 levels the last 100 years.
Emissions from international transport such as shipping and air travel is counted as a separate region.
This chart is based on December 2020 data from Global Carbon Project
Oil and gas production represents about 27% of total Norwegian emissions. These emissions are expected to be reduced in the future at the cost of higher global emissions, when on-shore hydroelectric power replaces off-shore gas turbines for powering oil and gas extraction. Numbers are in million tons CO2 equivalents.
The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA has a good overview of the various greehouse gases and their impact.
Methane levels are measured in ppb (parts per billion). The chart is updated monthly.
The NSIDC dataset contains ice extent data since 1979. July 2020 is the lowest month of July ever measured. September 2012 had the lowest ice cover recorded. This chart is updated monthly.
Virtually all the population growth will be in Africa, where the population will grow by 3 billion from 1.3 to 4.3 billion.
Production numbers are in 1000 BCM - Billion cubic meters
Note: EIA uses the term Eurasia to denote the countries in the former Soviet Union
The chart shows annual coal production in million metric tons since 1980. For more on peak coal, read Forbes article on coal demand
Note: EIA uses the term Eurasia to denote the countries in the former Soviet Union
Figures in this chart are in 1000 TWh (terawatt hours)
Note: EIA uses the term Eurasia to denote the countries in the former Soviet Union
NASA Ozone Watch tracks the size of the ozone hole over the Antarctic and the Arctic. The Antarctic ozone hole reaches its peak size in September/October. The chart shows the mean size of the hole during this period, in millions of square km.
The report Climate in Svalbard 2100 by NCCS is an excellent overview of future climate impact in the Arctic.
The data is a measure of fire activity, and not the number of fires per month. When a satellite image indicates an area with fire activity, there might actually be more than one fire within that image pixel. Also, a single forest fire may span several pixels.
This chart is updated daily.
The dataset covering 1880-2009 is based on measurements from a large number of stations (38 stations in 1900, 235 stations in the 1980s). The dataset from 1993 and onwards uses satellite technology. Units in mm (millimeters). Chart is updated monthly.
Most of the captured CO2 (30 million tons) is used for EOR - Enhanced Oil Recovery: Injection of CO2 into oil wells in order to extract more oil. IEA estimates that this accounts for an extra 500.000 barrels of oil per day, which equals 78 million tons CO2 emissions per year.
The chart lists all commercial operational CCS projects as of 2020. Those in red color use captured CO2 for EOR. Those in grey have stopped operations.
Brown coal is the deadliest power-generator with more than 32 deaths per TWh, mainly due to air pollution. This is 1000 times as many deaths as wind, hydro and solar. For the same amount of energy generated, even natural gas causes about 100 times as many deaths as renewable sources.
Nuclear power has a relatively low mortality rate, even when the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents are included. Our World in Data uses the IAEA/WHO estimate for Chernobyl-related deaths, 4000. This chart uses a higher estimate, 45.000, based on the TORCH report
Håkon Dahle, Oslo, Norway, 2020