Fighting coal to a draw [Data Flow]

Renewables are making progress, but not enough to dent emissions. In April, the International Energy Agency, in Paris, introduced a new index that will track the carbon intensity of global energy production. In a result that the IEA calls "grim," the index reveals that despite the growing deployment of renewables, we are still producing, per joule, virtually as much carbon as we produced two decades ago. Most of this production is due to the growth of coal-fired electricity generation driven by soaring energy demands in Asia. Consequently, in addition to cleaner generation, the IEA is urging stronger efforts in deploying carbon capture and storage technologies and developing more-efficient industrial processes.