Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Reach Another Record High in 2019

Scientific findings released this week by the Global Carbon Project, an international research initiative focused on sustainability, shows global carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reach another record high in 2019, Science Daily reports.

The findings, outlined in three new papers published in the journals Nature Climate Change, Earth System Science Data, and Environmental Research Letters, project the world will emit almost 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide this year, an expected increase of 0.6% from last year.

The good news is that the increase is smaller than those of previous years. Global carbon emissions grew by 2.1% in 2018 and by 1.5% in 2017. Although the rate of emissions growth is slower, researchers still warn emissions could increase through 2030 unless countries change their transportation and industry policies dramatically.

China, the United States, Europe, and India account for more than half of global emissions. However, both the United States and Europe cut their carbon emissions by 1.7% in 2019, mainly from reducing their use of coal by 10%. Researchers say U.S. coal use has been replaced by natural gas, renewables, and energy efficiency.

Although oil and natural gas usage emits less carbon dioxide than coal, it still contributes to global warming. Global emissions of natural gas are expected to increase by 2.6% in 2019 and emissions from oil is expected to rise by 0.9%.

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