The year 2023 ends with sad climate records. If it was known a few days ago that this year Be the warmest throughout history since records beganNow it has been revealed that he also took part in one this year New record for CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. As the COP28 summit takes place, reality shows that the planet still cannot stop the damaging effects of global warming, which continue to worsen.
Despite climate warnings from scientists, far from being reduced, the total CO2 emissions emitted into the atmosphere will reach a new record of 40.9 billion tons in 2023, according to data from the new annual report published by the Global Carbon Project COP28 was published within this framework.
This report, entitled “Global Carbon Budget”, which provides a global vision of the carbon cycle, was prepared by researchers from the University of Exeter (UK), the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Center for International Research at Climate (Norway ), the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and 90 other institutions worldwide.
This is the eighteenth edition of this report Participation of more than 120 scientistsand is published in the journal Earth System Science Data.
According to the data, it is expected that the Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels, the main source of the greenhouse effect The amount of greenhouse gases caused by the climate crisis will have increased by 1.1 percent compared to 2022 and will reach a new record: 36.8 billion tons will be reached at the end of 2023, reports Efe.
If you add CO2 emissions from fossil sources and those from land use changes, the total amount is forecast to rise to 40.9 billion tonnes this year by the end of the year.
Global data is higher than that of 2022in which 40.6 billion tonnes of CO2 would have been emitted, and confirms the ongoing gap to global climate targets to be met, which, according to the report, must be “urgent”.
Although subject to large uncertainties, evidence suggests that at the current rate of emissions there is a 50 percent chance that global warming will exceed the threshold of 1.5°C above Earth’s thermal level in a normalized manner in about seven years would pre-industrial age.
Although close Half of the CO2 continues to be absorbed by the “sinks” terrestrial, i.e. the forests, and oceanicthe rest of the emissions remain in the atmosphere and cause climate change.
The warming envisaged by the Paris Agreement will be exceeded
According to the figures, fossil CO2 emissions are falling in some geographical regions, including Europe and the United States, but overall they are increasing worldwide.
Scientists warn against this Global action to reduce fossil fuels is not coming fast enough to avoid “the dangerous” climate change.
Emissions from land use change (e.g. deforestation) are expected to decline “slightly”, but this may not be enough to offset the level of reforestation and afforestation (new forests).
“This seems inevitable We will exceed the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement“warns Professor Pierre Friedlingstein from the Global Systems Institute in Exeter and leader of the report.
“Quick cuts” fossil fuel
Given the situation, the climate summit taking place in Dubai until the 12th must agree on “rapid reductions in fossil emissions”. which prevent the temperature of the planet from exceeding these values or The goal of not exceeding the 2°C mark should at least be adhered to Increase compared to the pre-industrial era.
“All countries must decarbonize their economies faster than before to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” he said.
The report contains key data that confirms that regional trends in the climate fight vary widely.
According to the indicators, CO2 emissions are expected to increase in India (8.2%) and China (4.0%) in 2023 Declines in the EU (-7.4%), the US (-3.0%) and the rest of the world (-0.4%).
By source type, global emissions from coal (1.1%), oil (1.5%) and gas (0.5%) are expected to increase.
Atmospheric average CO2 levels are forecast to be 419.3 parts per million (ppp) in 2023. 51% above pre-industrial levels.
According to the figures, in 2023 the… global CO2 emissions from forest fires were higher than average due to an extreme fire season in Canada, with impacts six to eight times higher than average.
The amount of carbon dioxide removal through technology – excluding CO2 removal through natural projects such as reforestation – is about 0.01 million tonnes of CO2, which is more than a million times less than current fossil CO2 emissions.
Also a global warming record
This worrying trend coincides with news of a new global warming record.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) preliminary report on the state of the global climate published a few days ago confirms this 2023 will undoubtedly be the warmest year on record.
Data through the end of October shows the year is underway about 1.40°C warmer than average since the pre-industrial era. The difference from 2016 and 2020, which held the previous records, is so great that it is very unlikely that the last two months of the year can change the current result.
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