Countries around the world have been emitting more carbon dioxide again since the end of 2020

In order to stop climate change sustainably, we have to reduce our emissions to an absolute minimum. This realization should be known to many, but the rescue of our planet still seems to be stalling a bit. At the end of 2020, we were looking at a year in which greenhouse gas emissions fell significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this probably did not have an impact on future emissions.

New data now show that significantly more carbon dioxide was already being emitted in December than before the pandemic. Overall, emissions rose by around 2 percent compared to December of the previous year. China, which currently heads the list of the top polluters, ramped up production after a year full of losses, one possible reason why emissions rose sharply here (+ 1.5 percent).

Many see the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement in jeopardy as a result of this realization, and emissions that have been avoided now appear to be delayed. Large industrial nations, such as China, Brazil and India mentioned at the beginning, continue to rely too little on sustainable energy sources. When the workers in these countries return to the factories, there is logically a sharp increase in emissions.

But it’s not all as bad as it seems at first. According to the Paris climate treaties, China will probably not cause the most emissions until 2030 and then produce fewer and fewer greenhouse gases. In addition, the country, led by Xi Jinping, wants to remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits by 2060.

Nevertheless, we have to keep going. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by the middle of the century, we would have to record a decrease of 8 percent every year in many places. The 2020 restrictions only resulted in a 6 percent reduction.

Own opinion:

I have said it before, but it is up to each of us to save the planet. Small decisions can make big long-term differences; climate protection is not always associated with restrictions. We live in an unbelievable century, let’s do everything we can to keep it that way!

Via The Verge