Global carbon emissions are set to rise to a new record of 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024, a 0.8% increase over the previous year, as reported at the COP29 climate conference in Baku. This increase underscores a persistent trend of growing emissions from fossil fuels, which remains unbalanced by advances in renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Adoption of cleaner energy sources and EVs has helped reduce emissions in 22 countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, but overall global demand for fossil fuels has continued to climb. Notably, fossil gas emissions have surged by 2.4%, largely due to increased usage in major economies, although the EU managed to cut back. Oil emissions rose by 0.9%, driven by a rebound in international aviation and a rise in emissions from India. The bright spot in oil is the U.S. and China, where emissions are declining, with China seeing substantial growth in its EV sector.
Changes in coal emissions are uneven, with India and China showing increases while the EU and the U.S. experience significant declines. The UK reached a historical milestone in 2024 by closing its last coal power plant, completing a shift to wind energy that has helped nearly halve its emissions since 1990.
Alongside fossil fuel use, carbon emissions from land use, primarily due to deforestation and fires, are also high, especially in areas like the Amazon, which has been affected by drought and wildfires. Land-use emissions averaged 4.1 billion tonnes annually over the past decade but spiked to 4.2 billion tonnes in 2024. Combined, fossil fuel and land-use emissions are expected to surpass 41 billion tonnes this year, setting a new global record.
More countries are cutting emissions; 22 nations, including Norway and New Zealand, reduced fossil fuel emissions even as their economies grew. Norway, for example, achieved this by adopting EVs and upgrading offshore oil platforms with electric turbines, while New Zealand expanded geothermal and wind energy.
While nature has traditionally absorbed about half of human-produced CO2, climate events like the recent El Niño have temporarily weakened these natural carbon sinks. Extreme weather and warming ocean temperatures may further limit this natural absorption in the future.
Despite positive efforts, the world has yet to reach the necessary peak in emissions. CO2 emissions continue to rise, keeping us on a path that falls short of the 1.5–2°C warming limit outlined in the Paris Agreement.
(This story has been slightly reworked from an auto-generated PTI feed.)
