Rising greenhouse gas emissions

A new UN report into greenhouse gas emissions finds the international community is falling far short of its Paris Agreement goals, with no credible pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5°C


GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, 1990-2021 (GtCO2 e*/year)
 
Fossil CO2 
Methane† 
Nitrous oxide
Fluorinated gases 
LULUCF CO2

Emissions (excluding LULUCF) rebound after 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns, reaching 52.8 GtCO2 e in 2021 compared to 52.6 in 2019

60 
50    		51	54
40 38	42 
30
20
10
0
   1990	2000 	2010 	2020
       

21ST CENTURY GLOBAL WARMING PROJECTIONS (% chance)
     
Current policies
37
36
19
1
7

Unconditional ratification of Paris Agreement with net-zero targets
61
20
17
1
 
< 1.5°C	1.5-2.0°C	2.0-2.5°C	2.5-3.0°C 	3.0-4.0°C 	> 4°C
      

*Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. †Land use, land-use change, and forestry


Sources: UN Emissions Gap Report 2022 
Picture: Chris LeBoutillier (Unsplash) 
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