World carbon dioxide emissions increase again, driven by China, India and aviation

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A team of scientists reported that the world this year pumped 1.1% more heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the air than last year because of increased pollution from China and India. Aviation emissions also rose. Tuesday’s reported increase comes as international climate talks are underway where global officials are trying to cut emissions by 43% by 2030. Instead, carbon pollution keeps rising. The Global Carbon Project, a group of international scientists who produce the gold standard of emissions counting, said 36.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide poured into the air in 2023. That’s twice the annual amount of 40 years ago. Put another way, it’s equal to about 2.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere every second.