Global CO2 emissions are projected to reach a record 41.6 billion metric tons in 2024, driven by fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, according to the Global Carbon Budget report at COP29. With emissions rising, the 1.5°C climate target remains at risk.
BAKU, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Global carbon dioxide emissions, including those from burning fossil fuels, are set to hit a record high this year, pulling the world further off course from averting more destructive climate extremes, scientists said on Wednesday.
The Global Carbon Budget report, published during the U.N.'s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, said global CO2 emissions are set to total 41.6 billion metric tons in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tons last year.
The bulk of these emissions are from burning coal, oil and gas. Those emissions would total 37.4 billion tons in 2024, up by 0.8% in 2023, the report said.
The rest are from land use, a category that includes deforestation and forest fires. The report by more than 80 institutions was led by the University of Exeter in Britain.
"We don't see a sign of fossil fuel emissions peaking in 2024," said lead author Pierre Friedlingstein, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter.
Without immediate and steep emissions cuts worldwide, "we will just go straight into the 1.5C target, we'll just pass it and continue," he said.
Countries agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to stop global temperatures rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to avoid climate change's worst impacts.
This would require steep emissions cuts every year from now until 2030 and beyond.
Instead, fossil fuel emissions have climbed over the last decade. Land use emissions had declined in this period - until this year, when a severe drought in the Amazon caused forest fires, driving up annual land use emissions by 13.5% to 4.2 billion tons.
Some scientists have said such slow progress means the 1.5C aim can no longer realistically be met.
This year's emissions data showed evidence of some countries rapidly expanding renewable energy and electric cars, the authors said.
Progress, however, was sharply uneven - with rich industrialised nations' emissions decreasing, and emerging economies' emissions still rising.
Tensions between nations erupted on Tuesday at COP29 over who should lead the world's transition away from fossil fuels - which produce around 80% of global energy.
COP29 host Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Western countries of hypocrisy for lecturing others while still being major consumers and producers of fossil fuels.
Emissions in the U.S., the world's top oil and gas producer and consumer, are expected to decrease by 0.6% this year, while European Union emissions are set to fall by 3.8%.
Meanwhile, India's emissions will rise by 4.6% this year, driven by soaring power demand fuelled by economic growth.
Emissions in China, today the world's biggest emitter and second-largest oil consumer, are set to marginally increase by 0.2%. The authors said China's emissions from oil use have likely peaked, as electric vehicles gain market share.
Emissions from international aviation and shipping are also expected to jump by 7.8% this year, as air travel continues to recover from a drop in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A tragic plane crash early Thursday morning shook a quiet residential neighborhood in San Diego, California. According to officials, there are two dead, eight injured.
Adidas and Puma are expected to raise prices in the U.S. after Nike increased footwear costs, as rising import tariffs push up expenses across the sportswear industry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly criticized UK’s Starmer, France’s Macron, and Canada’s Carney for urging a halt to Israel’s military action in Gaza, accusing them of siding with Hamas and undermining justice.
The second meeting of customs leaders from Central Asia and China was held in Almaty, focusing on digitalization, AI integration, border crossing agreements, and expanding cooperation to strengthen regional trade and logistics.
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank Group, with the 2026 Annual Meeting set to take place in Azerbaijan.
Northern France sees major farmer protests as key agricultural reforms face parliamentary review, sparking road blockades and rising tensions.
The Trump administration is moving toward lifting sanctions on Syria, but officials caution that coordinating between government agencies means the process will take longer than initially expected.
The 7th Ethnosport Culture Festival kicked off in Istanbul with Azerbaijan’s 100-member team and famed Karabakh horses drawing major attention.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi declared that the United States would bear legal responsibility if Israel launches an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, amid reports of potential Israeli military action and ongoing nuclear negotiations in Rome.
A rare naval misstep has shaken North Korea’s tightly choreographed military image, prompting an urgent internal probe and public scolding from Kim Jong Un.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the USSR’s dissolution was legally invalid and that the Soviet Union still exists under constitutional law, framing the Ukraine war as an “internal process.”
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025, scheduled for May 18–19, will host 200 international guests, including 40 current and former European officials.
A delegation led by Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chief Negotiator of COP29, participated in Climate Week in Panama, held from May 19–21, 2025, in Panama City.
Even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C — the goal set by nearly 200 countries — rising seas will still pose a major threat to coastal communities for centuries, scientists say.
Colombia lost nearly 88,900 hectares of forest — an area larger than New York City — in just six months, according to a new report from the country’s public watchdog.
At least 10 people have died and another 10 remain missing following a flash flood and landslide in Indonesia’s West Papua province.
The U.S. faces a dangerous mix of rising tornadoes and fewer meteorologists, straining weather warning systems. Tornado counts are 35% above average this year, testing an understaffed National Weather Service amid growing climate-driven severe weather.
Northern France sees major farmer protests as key agricultural reforms face parliamentary review, sparking road blockades and rising tensions.
The Trump administration is moving toward lifting sanctions on Syria, but officials caution that coordinating between government agencies means the process will take longer than initially expected.
The 7th Ethnosport Culture Festival kicked off in Istanbul with Azerbaijan’s 100-member team and famed Karabakh horses drawing major attention.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi declared that the United States would bear legal responsibility if Israel launches an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, amid reports of potential Israeli military action and ongoing nuclear negotiations in Rome.
A rare naval misstep has shaken North Korea’s tightly choreographed military image, prompting an urgent internal probe and public scolding from Kim Jong Un.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment