Record-high carbon emissions in 2023 erase gains from pandemic decline

Daniel Sims

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Staff
Why it matters: When the 2020 pandemic caused a notable reduction in global carbon emissions, some hoped that industrialized nations would take the opportunity to strengthen efforts to fight climate change. A recent UN report indicates that 2023 emissions bounced back and then some, jeopardizing the Paris Agreement.

Unsurprisingly, this year's United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report states that the world's wealthiest nations aren't doing enough to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, it also shows that recent emissions growth has erased the pandemic lull.

Global emissions increased by 1.3 percent from 2022 to 2023, exceeding the average annual rate of 0.8 percent from the decade spanning 2010 to 2019 and setting a new record of 57.1 GtCO2e. The increase came from all sources of emissions except land use and forestry. Energy and agriculture continue to be the most significant contributors.

According to the UNEP, current policies could lead to a global temperature rise of up to 3.1 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by the end of the century. The Paris Agreement goal of limiting that number to 1.5C will fall out of reach if the next few years show emissions growth similar to 2023.

Achieving the reductions nations agreed to under the Paris Agreement's Nationally Determined Contributions would put the planet on the path to a warming increase between 2.6C and 2.8C. Reaching 1.5C would require cutting emissions by 47 percent compared to 2019 levels before 2030 and 57 percent by 2035. Increasing the use of wind and solar energy could account for between 27 percent and 38 percent of emissions reductions by the 2030s. Reversing deforestation and improving forest management might contribute another 20 percent.

Agriculture and land use are vital factors behind climate change because the Earth's oceans, forests, soil, and other natural elements usually absorb about half of all emissions. However, even this might be rapidly shifting, as preliminary research indicates that the planet absorbed almost no CO2 in 2023. The phenomenon might be temporary, but it could also signal that natural carbon sinks are failing, which might rapidly increase climate change.

Scientists have repeatedly linked climate change with the intensification of natural disasters, rising sea levels, increasing frequency of heat waves, and other effects that could endanger human civilization.

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China + India?
Americans who don't understand the concept of "per capita" lol.

China has just over half the per capita CO2 emissions compared to the US, and India has about 1/7th of the per capita emissions. And the only reason China's isn't even lower is because the entire developed world offloaded their manufacturing (with accompanying CO2 emissions) there.

If you wanna point fingers, look at South Korea, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East oil states, which dominate the top of the per capita emissions list.

Source.
 
Americans who don't understand the concept of "per capita" lol.

China has just over half the per capita CO2 emissions compared to the US, and India has about 1/7th of the per capita emissions. And the only reason China's isn't even lower is because the entire developed world offloaded their manufacturing (with accompanying CO2 emissions) there.

If you wanna point fingers, look at South Korea, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East oil states, which dominate the top of the per capita emissions list.

Source.

CO2 production is a nonsense issue.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/

 
Americans who don't understand the concept of "per capita" lol.

China has just over half the per capita CO2 emissions compared to the US, and India has about 1/7th of the per capita emissions. And the only reason China's isn't even lower is because the entire developed world offloaded their manufacturing (with accompanying CO2 emissions) there.

If you wanna point fingers, look at South Korea, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East oil states, which dominate the top of the per capita emissions list.

Source.
Per capita makes little sense on the overall wellbeing of the planet. China and India make the most, that is what matters.
Arguing who personally produces more is even more senseless considering it is a nationwide problem that will be dealt with by the government not me or a random Chinese man in Shenzhen who might produce more or less c02 personally.
 
The COVID era definitely tainted our track record, but I'm glad we are finally back to where before our output dipped despite taking several years to reached that point again.

With this result, I hope we can keep increasing our carbon emission to keep a positive record.
 
Per capita makes little sense on the overall wellbeing of the planet. China and India make the most, that is what matters.
Arguing who personally produces more is even more senseless considering it is a nationwide problem that will be dealt with by the government not me or a random Chinese man in Shenzhen who might produce more or less c02 personally.
LOL

Per capita is literally all that matters, genius. It is the average CO2 emitted per person in that country. On average each person in the US is producing almost twice the CO2 of each person in China.

Absolute numbers mean nothing. If China decided to split itself into 5 smaller countries, each with 1/5th of the population, then by your logic it would completely cease to be a problem because they're no longer at the top of the list in absolute numbers, even though nothing whatsoever changed in how much CO2 they produce.

CO2 emissions only ever matter in relation to the size of the population. The US has only 24% of the population of China and yet it produces 39% as much CO2 as China does (per my source). The US is worse.

China and India make the most, that is what matters.

First of all, you're already wrong off the bat about India. In absolute numbers, the US produces 80% more CO2 than India does, in spite of the fact India has a population 4 times larger. Again, check the source, The US is in position 2 in absolute numbers, India is in position 3. If you look at per capita, which is what actually matters, the average person in the US is responsible for 7 times more emissions than the average person in India.

And second, China only produces "the most" because they have a giant population. When looked at per person, they already produce much less CO2 than the US does. It's much easier for the US to cut emissions (14.2 tons per year per person currently) than it is for China (8.9 tons per year per person).

Again, stereotypical americans failing to comprehend how the world works is always hilarious.
 
LOL

Per capita is literally all that matters, genius. It is the average CO2 emitted per person in that country. On average each person in the US is producing almost twice the CO2 of each person in China.

Absolute numbers mean nothing. If China decided to split itself into 5 smaller countries, each with 1/5th of the population, then by your logic it would completely cease to be a problem because they're no longer at the top of the list in absolute numbers, even though nothing whatsoever changed in how much CO2 they produce.

CO2 emissions only ever matter in relation to the size of the population. The US has only 24% of the population of China and yet it produces 39% as much CO2 as China does (per my source). The US is worse.



First of all, you're already wrong off the bat about India. In absolute numbers, the US produces 80% more CO2 than India does, in spite of the fact India has a population 4 times larger. Again, check the source, The US is in position 2 in absolute numbers, India is in position 3. If you look at per capita, which is what actually matters, the average person in the US is responsible for 7 times more emissions than the average person in India.

And second, China only produces "the most" because they have a giant population. When looked at per person, they already produce much less CO2 than the US does. It's much easier for the US to cut emissions (14.2 tons per year per person currently) than it is for China (8.9 tons per year per person).

Again, stereotypical americans failing to comprehend how the world works is always hilarious.
Oh man we got a China sympathizer here…let me guess you are a current college student in California somewhere? Hmm
 
Oh man we got a China sympathizer here…let me guess you are a current college student in California somewhere? Hmm
I'm not anyone's sympathizer, I'm just providing cold hard data.

China produces 8.9 tons of CO2 per person.

The US produces 14.2 tons of CO2 per person. Canada produces 15 tons of CO2 per person. Australia produces 15 tons of CO2 per person. Russia produces 13.1 tons of CO2 per person. South Korea produces 13.1 tons of CO2 per person. Saudi Arabia produces 18.9 tons of CO2 per person.

Remember that thing they say? "Reality doesn't care about your feelings."
 
Any report - repeat any - coming out of the UN is highly suspect. Why is it that the usual "hundreds of researchers" quoted are always the same ones, and why is it that the thousands and thousands of researchers ignored are the ones providing actual evidence which disproves the UN claims?

Everything the UN says or does can be traced back to how much they get paid.
 
I'm not anyone's sympathizer, I'm just providing cold hard data.

China produces 8.9 tons of CO2 per person.

The US produces 14.2 tons of CO2 per person. Canada produces 15 tons of CO2 per person. Australia produces 15 tons of CO2 per person. Russia produces 13.1 tons of CO2 per person. South Korea produces 13.1 tons of CO2 per person. Saudi Arabia produces 18.9 tons of CO2 per person.

Remember that thing they say? "Reality doesn't care about your feelings."
Please provide the source for your numbers. Hopefully, that source will document how it determines total carbon output per nation and per individual. Otherwise, the data is not just suspect, but of null value.
 
Please provide the source for your numbers.
?????
Did you even read my comments before replying? The source is right there on the first one.
Here, for your convenience:
Americans who don't understand the concept of "per capita" lol.

China has just over half the per capita CO2 emissions compared to the US, and India has about 1/7th of the per capita emissions. And the only reason China's isn't even lower is because the entire developed world offloaded their manufacturing (with accompanying CO2 emissions) there.

If you wanna point fingers, look at South Korea, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East oil states, which dominate the top of the per capita emissions list.

Source.
 
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