[GWSG] German renewables up; also Denmark, India, England, and China; US coal drops; transportation electrifying; banning CH4; 2019 in retrospect

[Tilley, Al]

1. In 2019 renewables accounted for 46% of German power, up 7% from 2018. Coal power dropped 9% last year. Germany has a target of 65% renewable power by the end of the new decade. https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2020-01-03/renewable-energys-share-of-german-power-mix-rose-to-46-last-year-research-group



2. Denmark was over 50% renewable power last year; England, India. And China had major gains in renewables. Denmark: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/01/05/denmark-passes-magic-50-in-renewable-electricity-generation-milestone/?utm_source=CleanTechnica+News&utm_campaign=d9f66cc511-Daily+Email+CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d9f66cc511-331994013

England: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-renewables-generate-more-electricity-than-fossil-fuels-for-first-time

India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_India

In the last four years, wind power in China has doubled and installed solar has tripled. China is investing more in the energy transition than the US and the EU combined. (It still has a long way to go to reach zero carbon emissions.)  https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/2019/12/01/end-of-the-year-wrap-up-five-figures-show-chinas-renewable-energy-growth-in-2019/#gref



3. Coal consumption in the US dropped 18% last year, leading to a modest drop in emissions. Other sources of greenhouse gases showed no moderation.  https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/americas-coal-consumption-entered-free-fall-2019/604543/



4. The global transition to electric private transportation is developing quickly. https://cleantechnica.com/2020/01/06/the-tech-trends-that-created-tesla-model-3-arent-over-disruption-around-the-corner/?utm_source=CleanTechnica+News&utm_campaign=d9f66cc511-Daily+Email+CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d9f66cc511-331994013



5. Last year the city of Berkeley banned natural gas in new construction. Seattle and dozens of other cities have since enacted similar measures. Bellingham, WA, is experimenting with replacing methane heating and cooking in existing homes. The industry is responding with a vigorous propaganda campaign, an indication of how seriously they take this inspiring threat.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/05/us/bellingham-natural-gas-ban.html



6. Yale Climate Connections surveys the fairly bleak climate research released last year. “The last six years have been the six hottest globally ever recorded by humans.” https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/01/2019-in-climate-science-a-continued-warming-trend-and-bleak-research/

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