Carbon Emissions Are No Longer A Driver Of Economic Growth
And why the destruction of that relationship is important
Our economy has broken an important relationship.
Ever since the industrial revolution, gross domestic product (GDP) and carbon emissions were intertwined. Continued economic growth and rapid expansion resulted in ever-increasing carbon emissions.
However, over the past few years, we have shattered this correlation. Experts refer to this as decoupling, where carbon dioxide emissions and economic activity no longer grow together. As the International Energy Agency points out, global carbon dioxide emissions leveled from 2013–2015 as the economy continued to grow.
We powered this decoupling through the rise of renewables and improvements in energy efficiency. We have a long way to go — both in continuing to reduce emissions and bringing less developed countries towards decoupling. Regardless, we have finally demonstrated that growth does not hinge on continuing output of carbon dioxide.
Decoupling is incredibly important. It shows that we can avert the ecological worst of climate change and continue to grow our economy. But outside of carbon emissions itself, what does decoupling teach us?
Simply put, we should never assume relationships and correlations as locked, unchangeable, or immutable. Especially detrimental ones.
This gives us the freedom to question existing relationships in regards to sustainability.
Will increasing urban density always mean increasing traffic congestion?
Transportation technology like automated cars and pooling services can create new trends where people rely less and less on personal vehicles and more on automated ride-sharing services.
Will increasing agricultural demand always mean increasing agricultural land use?
We could eventually discover new agricultural practices and techniques that allow us to grow crops in vertical structures and potentially incorporate production into urban settings.
Will the increasing use of computing and cloud services increase electricity consumption?
With cloud computing and blockchain on the rise, energy demand in the tech sector has increased substantially. Similar to decoupling, can we find a way for new technologies to reduce our electricity consumption rather than increase it?
Will poverty always correspond to lower education levels?
Can we find ways to ensure that all children — regardless of income, country, gender, or other identifiers — obtain a basic level of education? Can we provide stability for these families to ensure children can attend school?
Decoupling is extremely important, and we now have evidence that we can shatter relationships that have shackled our progress and the success of our fellow human beings.
