“Can’t afford to relax”

ENVIRONMENT

In 2024, global emissions of carbon dioxide have increased to new record levels globally. The announcement comes just in time for the UN’s major climate conference COP29.

Despite an urgent need to reduce emissions to slow climate change, there is no evidence that the world has peaked in terms of emissions, according to a new report – which will be yet another warning to world leaders at this year’s climate summit.

When the international research project Global Carbon Project publishes its annual review of emission levels, it looks dark. Including carbon dioxide emissions from, among other things, deforestation, it is found that the total emissions rise to 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, which is 0.8 percent more than in 2023.

No signs of peaking

“The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly dramatic, but despite this we see no signs that the burning of fossil fuels has reached its peak,” says Pierre Friedlingstein from Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, who led the study.

But there are glimmers of light. Several countries have succeeded in curbing their carbon dioxide emissions. But, the authors note, before we reach a net-zero level of carbon dioxide emissions globally, temperatures will continue to rise with devastating consequences.

– The fact that Europe achieved emission reductions of 8.3 percent last year shows that it is possible to make real progress. Sweden’s increase in emissions this year, on the other hand, is a reminder that we cannot afford to relax when it comes to our climate goals, says Wendy Broadgate, global director of operations for the research network Future Earth in Sweden. The Global Carbon Project is a research project within Future Earth.

India increases emissions

The US, which accounts for 13 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, looks set to reduce them by 0.6 percent compared to 2023, according to the report. India, on the other hand, which accounts for 8 percent, will increase its own by 4.6 percent. In China, which is responsible for 32 percent globally, there are signs that the curve is flattening out, but emissions there are still predicted to increase by 0.6 percent.

The researchers behind the report have also calculated scenarios to meet the so-called 1.5-degree goal for global warming – a limit which, according to the latest measurements, the globe is feared to have already passed. The report’s conclusion still leaves some hope: if we continue at the same emission rate as now, there is a 50 percent risk that the limit will definitely be exceeded in just over six years.