Global CO2 emissions '61% higher than 1990' - Global Carbon Project

China intends its total carbon dioxide emissions to peak “as early as possible”, according to a speech delivered by China’s Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli at the UN Climate Summit held last week. The words were seen by many as a confirmation of the Chinese government’s commitment to improving their poor environmental record.

The Chinese government has indeed taken measures to clean up the country’s environment: a new law was passed last April to strengthen the environmental protection legal framework and the government is investing in technologies that do not cause climate change – notably in nuclear power plants.

Recent reports show that the global picture is getting worse, however. The latest report released by Global Carbon Project on Sept. 21 points out that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production increased by 2.3 % in 2013, and are now 61% higher than when emissions first started being recorded in 1990.

According to the research, the major polluters have also changed: whereas in 1990 about 62 % of global emissions were emitted in developed countries, 34 % in developing countries and 4 % in bunker fuels used for international shipping and aviation, now 36 % of emissions come from developed countries and 58 % from developing ones.

China has become by far the largest CO2 emitter in the world, accounting 28 % of global emissions in 2013, while the USA made up 14 %, the EU 10 % and India 7 %.

According to the study, per capita emissions in China are now higher than those of Europeans. China was also the largest contributor to the increase in CO2 emissions between 2012 and 2013, the study says, accounting for 4.2 %, while the United States grew by 2.9 % and Europe declined by 1.8 %.

As the two largest economies and emitters in the world, we have a special responsibility to lead. That’s what big nations have to do US President Barack Obama

US President Obama has stressed that “as the two largest economies and emitters in the world, we [China and the US] have a special responsibility to lead. That’s what big nations have to do.”

Not everyone agrees, however. Zou Ji, a professor at the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, in an interview published in China Daily said, “China and the EU cannot be compared in such a simple way, given their different stages of development and economic situations.” Professor Zou also argued that the EU, since the industrial revolution, has produced more cumulative emissions per capita than China.

As the debate surrounding who should pay for current environmental problems continues, the planet gets steadily warmer- scientists expect a further 2.5 % increase in emissions in 2014 and predict world average temperatures being 3.2°C to 5.4°C degrees above pre-industrial times by 2100.