According to the newest Global Carbon Budget report, global emissions continue to rise and must be significantly reduced to meet global climate targets and avoid severe and deleterious effects of climate change. In 2023, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are expected to reach 419.2 ppm, an estimated 51% above pre-industrial levels, with 36.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions being produced by the end of the year.
The Global Carbon Budget is an annual report prepared by the Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration that examines global emissions of key greenhouse gasses – specifically carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Scientists Rik Wanninkhof, Ph.D., Leticia Barbero, Ph.D. and Denis Pierrot, Ph.D. of the Ocean Carbon Cycle group at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Metoeological Laboratory were co-authors of the 2023 report, which was led by the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute and included contributions from 70 research and academic institutions globally.
“As we work towards achieving net zero emissions, we have been expecting natural sinks to behave the way they have in the past,” explained Wanninkhof. “If they don’t, we’ll have to decrease emissions even more than expected.”
To learn more about the findings of the latest report and the urgent need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, read the full NOAA Research article here.
For more information, contact Theo Stein, NOAA Communications, at (303) 819-7409 or theo.stein@noaa.gov.