Our history - dig it up and burn it

Perhaps Trump is not a climate change denier after all, but is actually doing his best to tackle the problem, just in such a way that no-one notices his true intent. Fantasy of course, but if his trade war with China hits that country’s economy hard, then it could have the knock-on effect of reducing China’s increasing use of fossil fuels. This growth accounts for half of the global increase in fossil fuels.
 
The chart illustrates how despite all the talk and international hand-wringing, we’re still well on our way to hell. The chart comes from an excellent analysis by Barry Saxifrage in Canada’s National Observer—the whole article is worth reading, especially if you were feeling optimistic after the Paris Agreement and need a reality check. There are some good signs, however. The E.U. including the UK is cutting the use of fossil fuels. Surprisingly so has Russia, even whilst that country is seeking to exploit opened-up Arctic oil and gas reserves.
 
Developing countries, with India in the lead, sniff a scent of a colonialist attitude towards their fossil fuel based growth. Unless the old, industrialised economies do more to aid the shift to renewable energy globally, and not just at home, then developing countries will have a point. As somebody once said, we’re all in this together.