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How is the world doing on tackling climate change?

How is the world doing on tackling climate change?

Scientists, politicians and world leaders are meeting at the annual UN climate summitszczyt, COP29, in Azerbaijan during what is set to be the hottest year on recordnajgorętszy rok w historii.

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What progress have countries already made to tacklerozwiązać change?

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Renewableodnawialny sources of energyźródła energii like wind and solar are growing very quickly and prices have fallen considerablyznacznie over the past decadew ciągu ostatniej dekady.

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Last year, countries promised to triplepotroić the capacityzdolność of so-called 'renewablesodnawialne źródła energii' by 2030.

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The idea is that these clean sources should start to displacewypieraćzacząć wypierać dirty fossil fuels in the electric power gridsieć elektroenergetyczna, therefore reducing CO2 emissions even as electricity demand grows.

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Currently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global renewable capacityzdolność odnawialna to grow 2.7 times by 2030 compared with its 2022 level - so not quite on trackna dobrej drodze for a treblingpotrojenie, but close.

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The hope is that economics, as much astak samo jak climate policy, can help renewablesodnawialne źródła energii to grow even fasterrosnąć jeszcze szybciej.

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“In many cases and for many countries, renewable energyenergia odnawialna is already the cheapest and the economically saneekonomicznie rozsądny option for producing energy,” said Prof Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London.

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China alone is expected to account forstanowić more than half of the growth in global renewable capacityzdolność to 2030, according to the IEA. But renewables are also set to risemają wzrosnąć quickly in the EU, US and India, as well as the UK.

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Batteries and other forms of energy storageformy magazynowania energii are key to the expansion of renewablesodnawialne źródła energii: while a fossil fuel-driven power station can be fired upuruchomiony at any time of the day, the wind doesn't always blow and the Sun doesn't always shinewiatr nie zawsze wieje, a słońce nie zawsze świeci.

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The number of electric vehicles (EVs) is growing quickly, led byprowadzone przez China, but rates of uptakeprzyjęcie vary considerablyznacznie się różnią between countries.

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They are the main way to reduce planet-warmingpowodujący ocieplenie planety emissions from road transporttransport drogowy, according to the UN.

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That is because they can be powered by clean electricityczysta energia elektryczna, rather than directly from fossil fuelspaliwa kopalne.

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The cost of EVs differsróżni się widelyróżni się znacznie between nationsmiędzy krajami.

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In China, the IEA estimates that more than 60% of electric cars sold in 2023 were already cheaper than their petrol or diesel equivalent, partly thanks to government subsidiesdotacje to the industry, encouraging more people to make the switchdokonać zmiany.

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In other regions, electric carssamochody elektryczne have typicallyzazwyczaj been more expensive, but are generally getting cheaperstają się tańsze.

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In the UK, for example, the recent growth in EV sales is partly thanks todzięki obligatoryobowiązkowy government targetscele, explained Colin Walker, head of transportszef transportu at the Energy and Climate Intelligence UnitJednostka ds. Energii i Klimatu.

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"As prices are driven downobniżane, more families are able to accessuzyskać dostęp the savings that come from electric drivingjazda elektryczna," he said.

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The UN says that the 1.5C target is still “technically possibletechnicznie możliwe”, but only with huge cuts to emissionsemisje over the next decade.

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The recent US election has also posed challengesstanowić wyzwania for uniting the world around new climate targets. Incoming president Donald Trump has pledgedzobowiązał się to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreementporozumienie klimatyczne z Paryża and “drill, baby, drillwierć, kochanie, wierć (zachęta do intensywnego wydobycia ropy i gazu)” for more oil and gas.

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This is “a major blowciospoważny cios to global climate actionglobalne działania na rzecz klimatu," according to Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief.

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"But it cannot and will not halt the changes under wayw toku to decarbonisedekarbonizować the economy and meet the goalsosiągnąć cele of the Paris agreement.”

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