Record high CO2 emissions in 2023 necessitates urgent global action to avert climate crisis
Annual global carbon budget highlights unprecedented emission levels
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have surged to record levels in 2023, posing an imminent threat to climate stability, according to research by the Global Carbon Project science team. The annual Global Carbon Budget reveals that fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are projected to reach a staggering 36.8 billion tonnes in 2023, marking a 1.1% increase from the previous year.
While some regions, including Europe and the USA, witness a decline in fossil CO2 emissions, the global trend indicates an alarming rise.
Scientists emphasize that the current pace of global efforts to reduce fossil fuel usage is insufficient to avert the looming dangers of climate change.
Emissions landscape and global inaction
The research further discloses a marginal decrease in emissions from land-use changes, such as deforestation. However, these reductions are still inadequate to counterbalance the high emissions, even with ongoing reforestation and afforestation efforts.
The report estimates a total of 40.9 billion tonnes of global CO2 emissions (fossil + land use change) in 2023, maintaining a concerning 10-year plateau.
Professor Pierre Friedlingstein, leading the study at Exeter's Global Systems Institute, laments the sluggishness of carbon emission reduction efforts. He warns that overshooting the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target seems inevitable, urging leaders at COP28 to swiftly implement drastic cuts in fossil fuel emissions to salvage the 2°C target.
Race against time: 1.5°C target and remaining carbon budget
The study not only reports the 2023 emission levels but also estimates the remaining carbon budget before consistently breaching the 1.5°C
