Green recovery

Despite temporary drop, global CO₂ emissions continue to grow

11/12/2020 PNG

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the main driver of climate change and a key factor in countries’ ability to deal with climate change.

CO₂ emissions refer to gross direct emissions of CO₂ from fossil-fuel combustion, that is, from burning oil, coal, natural gas and other fuels for energy use.

Despite the achievement of relative decoupling between CO₂ emissions and economic growth since 2000, and a temporary drop when COVID-19 hit, global CO₂ emissions continue to grow, mainly due to increases in emissions in the transport and energy sectors. Levels remain far from sufficient to achieve the aims of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which would require steep reductions in total global emissions.

See: Environment at a Glance Indicators

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