Rising Carbon Emissions Intensify Global Climate Change Impacts

With the arrival of summer, a dangerous heat dome has once again formed in several parts of the United States, putting tens of millions of Americans at risk of extreme heat.

In June, many areas of the country experienced unusually high temperatures. This heat dome, characterized by a bulging mass of hot air, exacerbates the already scorching conditions (Chappell, 2024). Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the oppressive heat has claimed the lives of hundreds, with temperatures soaring to a staggering 135°F (57.2°C) (Bennet & Hudgins, 2024).

Carbon dioxide emissions reached record levels in 2023, rising 1.1% from 2022. This increase comes from burning oil, coal, and natural gas, impeding progress to limit global warming. (Emissions from fossil, 2024).

According to the latest data, the global average temperature for 2023 reached 14.98°C, showing a 0.17°C increase from the previous record 2016. This makes 2023 the hottest year on record. Additionally, the temperature is now 1.48°C higher than the pre-industrial level of 1850-1900, bringing it precariously close to surpassing the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement (Global temperatures, 2024).

Watch a powerful visualisation from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS), a modelling and data assimilation system used for studying the Earth’s weather and climate, showing the flow of carbon dioxide into, around, and out of Earth’s atmosphere throughout 2021.

“The carbon dioxide shown in the visualisations comes from four major sources: fossil fuels (yellow), burning biomass (red), land ecosystems (green), and the ocean (blue). Though the land and ocean are both carbon sinks—which means they store more carbon than they emit by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—they can be sources at certain times and places. The green and blue dots represent carbon absorbed by the land and ocean (Emissions from Fossil, 2024).”

The article in WRI, “The History of Carbon Dioxide Emissions”, says that our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activities are now higher than at any time in our history. Based on its Climate Watch platform, the article presents a history of carbon dioxide emissions from the Industrial Revolution up to the present. Data shows that global emissions from human activities in 2022 are 182 times higher than during the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1950. Emissions rose from 204 MtCO2 in 1950 to 37,100 MtCO2 in 2022.

WRI’s Climate Watch is a very useful platform for policymakers, climate and environmental advocates, decision-makers, researchers, and other stakeholders, offering open data on the country’s historical greenhouse gas emissions of all countries, regions, sectors and various types of greenhouse gasses.

It allows users to analyse countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term Strategies (LTS) under the Paris Agreement, explore climate policies, see how nations can leverage their climate goals to achieve sustainable development objectives, and use models to map new pathways to a lower-carbon, prosperous future.

The article notes that historically, the United Kingdom was the world’s biggest emitter in 1950, and the country’s emissions were six times bigger than the United States, which was the second largest emitter then. France, Germany and Belgium complete the list of the top five biggest emitters.

Fast forward to 2022, when China takes the top spot as the world’s largest emitter, and second place is the United States, followed by India, Russia, and Japan. China’s emissions surpassed the United States in 2005. Since then, its emissions have skyrocketed due to its rapid economic growth, while the US emissions have started to fall.

By region, East Asia and the Pacific surpassed the emissions of Europe, Central Asia and North America in 2004; again, the region’s GHG emissions skyrocketed, contributing to 44% of global CO2 emissions by 2022. In contrast, Europe’s, Central Asia’s, and North America’s emissions show a downward trend.

However, when it comes to per capita emissions, North America takes the top spot, at 15 tonnes of CO2 (tCO2) per person in 2021. For instance, in 2021, the average North American emitted 11 times more CO2 than an average African (Cozzi et al). Europe, Central Asia and East Asia Pacific are both tied for second place with 7 tCO2, followed by the Middle East and North Africa with 6 tCO2, Latin America and Caribbean with 3 tCO2, South Asia 2 tCO2, and Sub-Saharan Africa having the least emissions per capita at 1 tCO2.

The top 10 largest emitters in the world responsible for 76% of Global Carbon Emissions

The article notes that the top 10 emitters, namely China, with a 32.08% share of total global emissions; United States (13. 69%); The European Union, composed of 27 nations (7.55%); India at (7.44%); Russia (4.31%); Japan (2.86%); Iran (2.42%); Indonesia (2.23%); South Korea (1.63%); and Brazil (1.33%), are responsible for more than three-quarters of the world’s emissions. The rest of the world emits 24.47% share of global carbon emissions.

We are already seeing the effects that scientists predicted, such as the loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, rising sea levels, and more intense heat waves. Scientists foresee global temperatures increasing due to human activity, leading to more severe weather events like stronger hurricanes and more intense heat waves.

Sea levels will continue to rise, bringing more droughts, longer wildfire seasons, and changes in precipitation patterns. These changes could harm human life, food systems, resource availability, and the economy.

Climate scientists have warned us that the way to avoid the worst impacts of climate change is to dramatically reduce emissions and reach net zero by the middle of this century.