Understanding Decarbonization — A New Classroom Series from Roger Pielke Jr.

In his The Honest Broker Substack, Roger Pielke Jr. launches a new “classroom series” to demystify climate policy and explain what decarbonization really means. He focuses on carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, a measure that connects emissions to economic growth — because the world is already cutting emissions while boosting prosperity.

Pielke’s data show a steady global decarbonization trend since the 1960s, long before the 2015 Paris Agreement or other major climate policies. That suggests the main drivers are technological innovation, efficiency, and economic modernization — not regulation.

Want more proof? The decarbonization trend has not picked up speed despite governments around the world implementing policies intended to make it accelerate.

Future installments will examine what causes decarbonization in the first place, why rates differ across countries, and how whether current climate goals are realistic.

Bottom line: Decarbonization is happening and mostly for reasons other than government climate policy. Pielke’s series aims to ground the discussion in data, not ideology.