Carbon emissions hit new high, Earth's time to contain warming 'running out'

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Driven by oil, global carbon emissions hit a new high in 2022 according to new estimates from the Global Carbon Project.

At these levels detailed in the group's Global Carbon Budget 2022 Earth has just nine years to cut emissions enough to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"Preliminary estimates based on data available suggest fossil CO2 emissions continued to increase by 1% in 2022 relative to 2021, slightly above the 2019 level," the paper said.

According to Pierre Friedlingstein, lead author of the research paper and climate modeler at the University of Exeter, if carbon emissions stay at the 2022 level, there's a 50% chance Earth will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming within nine years.

"This is more evidence that time is running out," Friedlingstein said.

The carbon budget report said 2022 coal emissions are up by 1%, oil by 2.2% and gas emissions were slightly down by 0.2%.

Even though 196 nations set carbon reduction goals in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, little progress has been made toward the net zero carbon emissions needed by 2050.

According to a U.N. climate report published Sunday, the last eight years have been the hottest on record. In October another U.N. report said efforts to curb greenhouse gases causing climate change are falling short of what's needed to contain the rise in global warming.

The report published Friday is based on data and measurements from multiple research groups and organizations around the world. It uses mathematical modeling to build a synthesis where data is collated and analyzed.

"While emissions from fossil fuels started before the Industrial Era, they became the dominant source of anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere from around 1950, and their relative share has continued to increase until present," the research paper said.