September 3, 2008 -

CARMA 2.0 has arrived! And our analysis of the latest data shows that the world still has a long way to go on curbing emissions growth.

Last week’s Washington Post feature on CARMA focuses on massive growth in Chinese emissions. Although pollution wasn’t big news once the Olympics started, this year China’s power sector will emit more CO2 than the US power sector for the first time. Furthermore, rapid construction of coal-fired plants is wiping out any improvements in emissions intensity. But China will (sort of) head in the right direction, on carbon intensity, as it doubles electricity production over the next decade: the share of fossil-fuel generation will decrease from 83% to 73%.

What about the rest of the world?

September 3, 2008 -

Recent weeks have seen the carbon footprint of the National Thermal Power Corporation - India's largest power company - come under some scrutiny. A Times of India article in late July first noted NTPC's global prominence in terms of CO2 emissions, drawing upon a now-outdated version of CGD's CARMA database of global power sector emissions. Last week, a rebuttal from NTPC and the Indian Ministry of Power claimed that CARMA relied upon "inaccurate generation figures" and argued that the company was one of the world's most efficient power producers. This weekend, an article syndicated in many Indian newspapers publicized the emissions figures from the just-released CARMA 2.0 database, including the Indian power sector's #3 global ranking and NTPC's annual emissions of 186 million U.S. tons of CO2. In the same article, the company responded by saying, "We are among the most efficient producers of power using fossil fuels. NTPC is the second best in the world, emitting only 800 grams of CO2 per kwh of electricity generation." Here I explain the supposed discrepancies, try to set the record straight regarding NTPC's present carbon emissions, and take a look at the company's claims regarding efficiency.

August 27, 2008 - If you're new to CARMA, we've created a quick, 4-minute video tutorial (below) introducing you to a couple of CARMA's more useful features. In particular, it shows you how to easily locate emissions information for any power plant or locale in the world -- like your hometown, for example. I hope you find it useful.

 

 

August 27, 2008 - We're pleased to annouce that Version 2.0 of CARMA is now up and running. The Washington Post featured an article on the new data in today's paper, focusing on the growth of emissions in China. We have posted the full press release for CARMA 2.0 on the Center for Global Development's website.

We have also created a Version Tracker page that lists the release dates and changes made to CARMA as we go along. We hope you explore and enjoy the new information and, as always, I encourage you to stay informed of our work by signing up for our newsletter on the right side of the page.

August 21, 2008 - Since the launch of CARMA in November of last year, we've been working hard developing the next incarnation of the database. CARMA 2.0, to be released to the public in the near future, represents a significant expansion and improvement. The new data will provide information on the state of the global power sector as of early 2008, inlcuding planned expansions and corporate ownership. It also incorporates new data from environmental agencies around the world and benefits from a number of improvements to the CARMA emissions estimation model. We've also expanded the quality and reach of CARMA's geographic data. And, as always, full information for all 53,980 power plants and their owners will be available for viewing, analysis, and download.

A quick preview: The new data show continuing rapid growth in power-related emissions, especially in China -- but also in Europe and the United States. Marginal improvements in plant efficiency are being swamped by the sheer scale of expansion; CARMA 2.0 includes information on nearly 6,500 plants that are planned for construction in the future. And on a slightly lighter (but still serious) note, Antarctica, the last carbon-free continent in CARMA 1.0, now joins the ranks of the emitters.

To be notified when CARMA 2.0 is officially released, join our newsletter on the right side of the homepage.