Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
9/26/2014
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production reached an all-time high in 2013 and are expected to increase even more in 2014, according to a report released this week by the multinational tracking initiative, Global Carbon Project. The project’s annual Global Carbon Budget report finds that CO2 emissions increased by 2.3 percent in 2013, 61 percent above 1990 emissions. Of that total, 43 percent of CO2 emissions resulted from coal burning, 33 percent from oil, 18 percent from gas, 5.5 percent from cement and 0.6 percent from gas flaring. Further, the report projects that emissions will increase an additional 2.5 percent this year, reaching 65 percent above 1990 levels.
This trend could indicate future trouble in remaining below the 2 degree Celsius increase in global temperature generally agreed upon as the upper limit before climate change will result in catastrophic events, said Glen Peters, a researcher with the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo (CICERO), in a statement this week. "Globally, emissions would need sustained and unprecedented reductions of around 7 percent [each] year for a likely chance to stay within the quota. … If carbon capture and storage technologies are not realized, it may not be possible to keep the temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius,” Peters said.
U.S., China, India and EU Top Four Emitters
The report breaks down the findings into regions as well, naming China, the United States, India and the European Union as the top four CO2 emitters. China’s emissions account for 28 percent of global emissions with a 4.2 percent increase from 2012. “China now emits more than the U.S. and EU combined and has CO2 emissions per person 45 percent higher than the global average, exceeding even the EU average,” CICERO researcher Robbie Andrew said in the release. The United States accounts for 14 percent of emissions, with a 2.9 percent increase from 2012. India’s emissions increased by 5.1 percent from 2012 and now account for a total of 7 percent of global emissions.
EU Saw Slight Drop in Emissions
Regardless of a 1.8 percent decrease in emissions in the EU, which the report attributed to “a weak economy and emission decreases in some countries offsetting a return to coal led by Poland, Germany, Finland,” emissions from the EU still account for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. The report also notes a shift in the distribution of emissions between developed and developing countries. “In 1990, 62 [percent] of global emissions were emitted in Annex B countries (developed countries), 34 [percent] in non-Annex B (developing countries),” the report says. “In 2013, 36 [percent] of emissions were emitted in Annex B countries, and 58 [percent] in non-Annex B countries.” The remaining emissions result from bunker fuels used for international shipping and aviation, according to the report.
