COP 28: The world is in a dangerous race against time as the 1.5-degree Paris climate target spins out of reach, and even the more modest 2-degree mark appears increasingly tough to achieve
In a stark revelation at the COP conference, the Global Carbon Project disclosed that 37 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide were dumped into the atmosphere in 2023, doubling the volume from four decades ago. Despite concerted global efforts to slash emissions by 43 percent before 2030, officials reported a disheartening 1.1 percent rise in heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions this year, with China and India emerging as key contributors.
International climate talks on Tuesday exposed the grim reality that carbon pollution is escalating, reaching 36.8 billion metric tonnes this year—a two-fold surge compared to levels recorded 40 years ago. Pierre Friedlingstein, the lead author of a study from the University of Exeter, warned that surpassing the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree Celsius target is now inevitable. Urgent action is imperative at COP28 to enact swift reductions in fossil fuel emissions to salvage the more modest 2-degree Celsius goal.
Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jim Skea, stressed the possibility of curbing warming to 1.5 degrees through substantial emission cuts. However, Friedlingstein underscored the importance of being on the right trajectory.
Every single second this year, 2.57 million pounds of carbon dioxide entered the atmosphere from just burning fossil fuels and producing cement. Remarkably, excluding China and India from the tally would have seen a reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions from these sources.
The annual carbon emissions in 2023 rose by 398 million metric tonnes, primarily propelled by surges in China, India, and aviation emissions. China's emissions spiked by 458 million metric tonnes, India's by 233 million, and aviation contributed 145 million metric tonnes.
Excluding China and India, fossil fuel emissions plummeted by 419 million metric tonnes. Europe led this downturn with a notable drop of 205 million metric tonnes, closely followed by a 154-million-ton reduction in the United States.
Europe's 8 percent reduction spanned coal, oil, gas, and cement emissions, while the United States primarily cut down on coal, with marginal increases in oil and gas emissions. Contrary to last year, when China's emissions dipped due to pandemic restrictions, 2023 saw a 4 percent rise, echoing the global post-pandemic recovery in 2022. Calculations are grounded in data from nations and companies for most of the year, with projections extending through the end of this month.
Inger Andersen, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, emphatically stressed the imperative for the world to achieve zero fossil fuel emissions as soon as possible. Developed nations should strive for this by 2040, while developing countries should target 2050 or, at the latest, 2060. The call for collective, urgent action reverberates as COP participants grapple with the escalating challenge of reining in carbon emissions on a global scale.