Global Carbon Emissions Rise, Pushing World Toward Dreaded Warming Threshold
CO2 emissions increased an estimated 0.8% to a record 37.4 billion metric tons in 2024.
Heavy smog and pollution in New Delhi, India. Among countries, India’s emissions are estimated to grow by 4.6%.
Photographer: Prakash Singh/BloombergCarbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels inched higher in 2024 and are estimated to set a record, further jeopardizing the planet’s prospect of meeting a key goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming, according to an annual report that tracks emissions.
Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas caused CO2 releases to rise an estimated 0.8% to a record 37.4 billion metric tons in 2024, the Global Carbon Budget study found. Including emissions from changing land use, that total is expected to rise to 41.6 billion this year, pushing atmospheric CO2 levels 52% higher than they were before the industrial revolution.