A new study has shown that the world now has limited chance of reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming over pre-industrial levels within the decade after carbon dioxide emissions increased by almost 5% last year.
The report, which was published in the online journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, showed that the COVID-19 pandemic, carbon emissions dipped 11% in 2020, potentially buying the world time to transition to clean sources of energy. But in 2021, as economic activity rebounded, the emissions that cause climate change increased 4.8% from 2020.
The report stated that 2021 emissions consumed 8.7% of the remaining carbon budget for limiting anthropogenic warming to 1.5 °C, which if current trajectories continue, might be used up in 9.5 years at 67% likelihood.
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“The carbon budget means the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted before reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming over pre-industrial temperatures” the report explained.
Recall that the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius has been set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has analyzed thousands of studies and found that warming beyond that threshold could set devastating events in motion.
To avoid that outcome, the IPCC had estimated that global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.
However, If current trends continue, the Nature study authors calculate that 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming will likely be reached in or before 2031.
Story was adapted from Yahoo News.
