A new report reveals that global carbon emission may set a new record this year, reaching an all-time high of 36 billion tons in 2013.
The emission of carbon dioxide worldwide has increased drastically. The gas, often referred to as one that causes greenhouse effects, is held responsible for dramatic climate changes and global warming that have occurred over the last few decades. Evidence that the circumstances are getting worrse comes from a recently released Global Carbon Project report from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The report predicts that 2013 will set a new record of global carbon emission, reaching an all-time high of 36 billion tons this year. The 2.1 per cent rise projected for 2013 suggests global emissions from burning fossil fuel are 61 per cent above 1990 levels, according to a press release.
"Governments meeting in Warsaw this week need to agree on how to reverse this trend. Emissions must fall substantially and rapidly if we are to limit global climate change to below two degrees. Additional emissions every year cause further warming and climate change," Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, said in a statement.
The recently launched Carbon Atlas gives researchers a clearer picture of the world's biggest carbon emitters. The atlas provides information on which countries emit the most amount of carbon dioxide, where the UK is outsourcing its emissions and what is driving the growth in China's emissions. By studying these readings, researchers can also determine which countries are helping to preserve the environment by removing carbon from the atmosphere.
"We are communicating new science," said Prof Le Quéré. "Everyone can explore their own emissions, and compare them with their neighbouring countries - past, present, and future."
According to the latest readings, the biggest carbon emitters of 2012 were China (27 per cent), the United States (14 per cent), the European Union (10 per cent), and India (6 per cent). Last year, it was predicted that carbon emission in 2012 will rise by 2.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Some consolation comes from the fact that the rise in fossil fuel emissions in 2012 and 2013 was slower compared to the average 2.7 per cent of the past 10 years.
Burning of goal is the biggest source of carbon emission, accounting for 43 percent of the total gas emitted. This is followed by oil (33 per cent), gas (18 per cent), cement (5.3 per cent) and gas flaring (0.6 per cent). The growth in coal in 2012 accounted for 54 per cent of the growth in fossil fuel emissions.
CO2 emissions from deforestation and other land-use change added 8 per cent to the emissions from burning fossil fuels. Cumulative emissions of CO2 since 1870 are set to reach 2015 billion tons in 2013, with 70 per cent caused by burning fossil fuels and 30 per cent from deforestation and other land-use changes.
