The analysis, by the Global Carbon Project, calculates Earth’s “carbon budget“, which is how much CO₂ humans have released, and how much has been removed from the atmosphere by the oceans and land ecosystems. From there, we calculate how much carbon can still be emitted into the atmosphere before Earth exceeds the crucial 1.5℃ global warming threshold.
This year, the world is projected to emit 40.6 billion tons of CO₂ from all human activities, leaving 380 billion tons of CO₂ as the remaining carbon budget. This amount of emissions is disastrous for the climate—at current levels, there is a 50% chance the planet will reach the 1.5℃ global average temperature rise in just nine years.
2022 fossil fuel emissions will be at an all-time high.
We must urgently reach net-zero CO₂ emissions to keep global warming well below 2℃ this century. But humanity’s massive emissions in 2022 underscores the monumental and urgent task ahead.