Blog Posts: emissions

Our best chance of preventing the worst impacts of climate change is to peak carbon emissions by 2020. New WRI research finds that despite progress in some areas, the world is not yet on track.

Climate discussions tend to focus on raising ambition—getting countries to reduce more emissions, faster.  But there’s an equally important issue that gets far less attention: ensuring climate action doesn’t leave anyone behind, particularly the world’s most vulnerable people.

Emissions are still rising when they need to be declining. We are using more oil and gas, and though coal is declining in some places it is surging in others.

The first bipartisan U.S. climate legislation in a decade aims to reduce carbon pollution by 90 percent through a carbon fee and dividend program, demonstrating that thoughtful members of Congress understand the urgent need to address climate change.

More than 7 million people die prematurely every year due to air pollution. Curbing short-lived climate pollutants like methane and black carbon can help while also reining in global warming.

Scientists say that global emissions must reach net-zero by mid-century to avoid the worst climate disasters. While G20 countries produce 75 percent of world's emissions, only a small handful have a plan for reducing them between now and 2050.

Global meat and dairy consumption is set to increase nearly 70 percent by 2050. The resulting agricultural emissions would make it impossible to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C (2.7°F), the level scientists say is necessary for staving off climate disasters.

New research from the world's leading climate scientists finds that annual emissions will need to be roughly half what they are today by 2030 in order to limit temperature rise to 1.5˚C. Exceeding this level of warming will bring climate impacts so catastrophic the world will be unrecognizable.

If tropical deforestation were a country, it would rank third in global emissions behind China and the United States. Tree cover loss is on the rise, but channeling climate mitigation finance towards forests could change the course of the world's climate.

From phasing out coal to banning oil drilling, several nations stepped up their climate action this year. A new timeline tracks climate announcements.