Global Fossil Fuel Emissions are Surprisingly Going into Decline for 2015

There may be some good news for the planet. It turns out that global fossil-fuel emissions are predicted to decline for 2015.

"In 2014, global CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels grew by just .6 percent," said Rob Jackson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This year we expect total emissions to flatten or drop slightly, despite strong growth in gross domestic product worldwide."

While CO2 emissions have slowed during times of economic recession, this would actually be the first decline during a period of strong global economic growth.

"Decreased coal use in China was largely responsible for the decline in global CO2 emissions," said Corinne Le Quere, one of the researchers. "After a decade of rapid growth, China's emissions rate slowed to 1.2 percent in 2014 and is expected to drop by 3.9 percent in 2015."

The researchers actually identified China as the world's top CO2 emitter in 2014. It was responsible for 27 percent of global emissions, followed by the United States at 15.5 percent. The European Union was responsible for 9.5 percent and India was responsible for 7.2 percent.

"Whether a slower growth in emissions will be sustained depends on the use of coal in China and elsewhere, and where new sources of energy will come from," said Pep Canadell, co-author. "In 2014, more than half of new energy needs in China were met from non-fossil fuel sources, such as hydro, nuclear, wind and solar power."

With that said, climate stabilization will require reducing emissions to near zero. This is important to note when deciding climate goals for the future.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

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