NASA Earth Observatory: Emissions from Fossil Fuels Continue to Rise
https://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152519/emissions-from-fossil-fuels-continue-to-riseEmissions from Fossil Fuels Continue to Rise
Scientists annual checkup on Earths carbon cycle found that burning oil, coal, and natural gas is impeding progress to limit climate change.
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February 2021
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels rose again in 2023, reaching record levels, according to estimates from an international team of scientists. The continued rise in emissions from the burning of oil, coal, and natural gas is impeding progress to limit global warming, the scientists said.
The finding is part of an annual checkup on Earths carbon cycle called the
Global Carbon Budget. In this annual assessment, scientists quantify how much carbon was added to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and land-use change, and how much carbon was removed from the atmosphere and stored on land and in the ocean.
Scientists early analysis of
2023 data shows that emissions from fossil fuels rose 1.1 percent in 2023 compared to 2022 levels, bringing total fossil emissions in 2023 to 36.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. When including other sourcessuch as deforestation and the
extreme wildfire season in Canadatotal emissions in 2023 were estimated to be 40.9 billion metric tons. Both 2023 and 2022 saw record increases in carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, according to the analysis.
Emissions are heading the wrong direction that we need to limit global warming, said Ben Poulter, a co-author of the report and scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from approximately 278 parts per million in 1750, the beginning of the industrial era, to 420 parts per million in 2023.