CO2 emissions to return to pre-Covid levels

The Global Carbon Project predicts that carbon emissions will rise by 4.9% this year. This sudden increase, as communities and industries gets back to normal following a downturn associated with the Covid-19 global pandemic, demonstrates the urgency to address global emissions worldwide.

The amount of climate-changing gases emitted globally in 2020 fell by 5.4%. This decrease took place as a direct result of lockdowns around the world. But, a year on, if emissions continue to rise at the current rate then the expected global temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius will be reached by the 2030s.

A major contributor is China, which accounts for 30% of all emissions. Recent efforts by the Chinese to switch to low carbon energy sources have now been offset in 2021 by the increase in heavy industrial development post-Covid, which is dependent upon coal use.

The remaining 70% of emissions have to be tackled by the rest of the world. India, along with China have invested in renewable energy, yet are still seeing increasing use of fossil fuels as they develop their industries. In contrast, the EU, USA and the rest of the world have managed to keep their emission levels lower than 2019 levels as a result of strict policies.

For more on this article, read the BBC news article.