A growing number of countries are showing that it is possible to achieve growth while also cutting emissions.
Historically, more industry meant burning more fossil fuels. But renewable energy has made it possible to generate more wealth without producing more emissions. In the decade since the Paris Agreement, a growing number of countries have “decoupled” growth from emissions, according to a new analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, a think tank based in London.
“We’re sometimes told the world can’t cut emissions without cutting growth. The opposite is happening,” said coauthor John Lang. “Decoupling is now the norm, not the exception.”
The analysis finds that 43 countries, including the U.S. and most of Europe, have completely decoupled growth from emissions over the last decade. Fortunes rose, while emissions fell. Together, these countries account for 46 percent of the global economy.
For another 40 countries, including China and India, emissions are still on the upswing, but the economy is growing faster. These countries account for another 46 percent of the world economy.
In the remaining 30 countries studied, emissions outpaced growth, but these countries amount to a tiny share of the global economy, the analysis showed.
Overall, the shift is toward decoupling, authors said. So while global emissions are continuing to rise, they are growing more slowly than they were a decade ago. “Under the hood, the structural shift is unmistakable,” Lang said. “More countries are bending their curves.”
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