NEWS FROM THE WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE
For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Leanne Mitchell, Public Relations Specialist.
Tel: (1-202) 452-1992 ext. 527
Email: [email protected]

THE HARD NUMBERS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Washington D.C., July 16, 2001:
Vital Signs 2001, published by the Washington DC based environmental
research organization Worldwatch Institute, provides detailed
information on the prospects for further reducing dependence on fossil
fuels, the promise of alternative energy sources and the many costs of
climate change. Useful information from Vital Signs and other
Worldwatch publications are summarized below:

Worldwatch climate change experts, Christopher Flavin and Seth Dunn are
available for comment from Monday, July 16 to Friday, July 27, 2001.

Facts and figures from Vital Signs 2001 and other Worldwatch
publications:

Fossil Fuel Use and Renewable Energy

* World fossil fuel consumption declined 0.2% in 2000, but fossil fuels
still account for 90% of commercial energy use, with 25% of world energy
derived from coal and 41% from oil; global oil use was up 1.1% in 2000.

* World coal consumption was down 4.5% in 2000; China, which also
accounts for 25%, used 3.5% less coal in 2000 than in 1999.

* Wind power is the world's fastest growing energy source over the last
decade, and grew by 30% in 2000. Wind power accounts for less than 1
percent of electricity worldwide, but recently passed 15% in Denmark.

* Production of solar electric cells jumped 43 percent in 2000; by
comparison, nuclear generation increased by just 0.5 %.

Carbon Emissions

* Global carbon emissions fell for the third straight year in 2000, to
6.3 billion tons
(-0.6%); global carbon emissions increased 6% in the decade of the
1990s, compared to the 15 % gain in the 1980s, 29% in the 1970s, and 58%
in the 1960s.

* US carbon emissions are now 13% above 1990 levels, a sharp contrast
with the 7% cut in greenhouse gases by 2010 that the US agreed to in
Kyoto; the increase in US emissions between 1990 and 2000 exceeds the
combined increase of China, India, and Africa.

* Japan, due for a 6% reduction by 2010 is now 13% above the 1990 mark.

* EU carbon emissions are now 0.5% below 1990 levels, due in large
measure to substantial reductions in coal burning in Germany and the
U.K.; additional effort is needed to reach the EU's Kyoto target of 8%
below 1990 levels in 2010.

* Carbon emissions in China fell 18 % between 1996 and 2000; by
contrast, emissions grew 80 percent in South Korea during that period,
and increased 57 percent in India.

* In the US, carbon emissions from vehicles in 1997 (291 million tons)
exceeded total emissions of all but a few nations; US fuel economy for
new cars has failed to improve since the mid-1980s, due to the growing
popularity of sports utility vehicles.

The Impact of Climate Change

* Scientists have detected a 40% reduction in the average thickness of
Arctic ice over the past 40 years; at the current rate of warming, the
Arctic could be ice-free in summer by mid-century, which could severely
affect the flow of the Gulf Stream and the climate of northern Europe.

* An estimated 27% of the world's coral reefs are now severely damaged,
up from 10% in 1992. If global warming persists, as many as 60% of all
reefs could be lost by 2030 and with them the sheltering effect from
storm damage they provide for coastlines.

* During the 1990s the economic toll from natural disasters topped $608
billion, more than the previous four decades combined; as sea levels
rise and weather extremes become more common in the coming decades, our
vulnerability to natural disasters will continue to grow.

-- END --

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WORLDWATCH PUBLICATIONS OR TO GET A REVIEW COPY
OF VITAL SIGNS 200, PLEASE CONTACT LEANNE MITCHELL, TEL: (202) 452-1992
ext.527; EMAIL: [email protected]

Leanne Mitchell
Public Relations Specialist
----------------------------------------------
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC 20036
Tel: (202) 452-1992 ext.527
Fax: (202) 296-7365
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.worldwatch.org

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