Brasília – International emissions of greenhouse gases reached an all-time high last year, posing a threat to targets of limiting global warming to less than two degrees, according to information disclosed this Monday (30th) by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
According to the agency, emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, grew by 5% last year compared with the previous record, set in 2008. In 2009, emissions dropped due to the world financial crisis, which caused international economic activity to decline.
The agency also estimates that 80% of projected power sector emissions for 2020 are already locked in, as they will come from power plants that are either operating or under construction.
The target of limiting the worldwide increase of average temperatures to 2 degrees was set during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held last year in Cancun. The limit was based on a technical report according to which if the global temperature were to increase by more than 2 degrees, the consequences could be irreversible and devastating.
According to the IEA, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted worldwide reached 30.6 gigatonnes last year, an increase of 1.6 gigatonnes compared with the previous year. The agency estimated that in order for global warming to be kept within acceptable limits, worldwide emissions must not exceed 32 gigatonnes before 2020.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
