Global Carbon Budget
Summary Highlights

Preliminary data for 2022 show an increase in fossil CO₂ emissions relative to 2021 of +1.0% (range 0.1% to 1.9%) globally, primarily driven by growth in oil use from the delayed rebound of aviation since the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 emissions declined 5.4% from 2019 levels because of COVID-19 measures.

The latest data confirm that the rate of increase in fossil CO₂ emissions has slowed, from 3% per year during the 2000s to about +0.5% per year in the past decade.

Emissions for 2022 are projected to decrease in China and in the European Union, but increase in the United States, India, and the Rest of the World.

Fossil CO₂ emissions decreased in 24 countries during the decade 2012-2021 while their economies grew. Altogether, these 24 countries contribute about one quarter of world CO₂ fossil emissions.

CO₂ emissions from land-use change are projected to be 3.9 GtCO₂ in 2022, ten times less than fossil emissions, with a small but uncertain decline over the past two decades.

The highest net CO₂ emissions from land-use change during 2012-2021 are Indonesia and Brazil, which together with the Democratic Republic of the Congo contribute more than half (58%) of the global total land-use emissions.

Total anthropogenic CO₂ emissions (fossil and land-use change) are projected to reach 40.6 GtCO₂ in 2022, slightly above their 2021 level of 40.2 GtCO₂ but still below the 2019 level of 40.9 GtCO₂.

The land and ocean CO₂ sinks combined continued to take up around half (53% over the past decade) of the CO₂ emitted to the atmosphere, despite the negative impact of climate change.

The ocean CO₂ sink was 10.5 GtCO₂ per year during the decade 2012-2021 (26% of total CO₂ emissions), with a similar preliminary estimate of 10.5 GtCO₂ for 2022.

The land CO₂ sink was 11.4 GtCO₂ per year during the 2012-2021 decade (29% of total CO₂ emissions), 1.4 GtCO₂ per year larger than during the 2000s, with a preliminary 2022 estimate of around 12.4 GtCO₂.

Climate change reduced the uptake of CO₂ by the ocean and land sinks by an estimated 4% and 17% respectively over the 2012-2021 decade.

The level of CO₂ continued to increase in the atmosphere because of continued CO₂ emissions.

Atmospheric CO₂ concentration increased 2.5 parts per million in 2021 and is projected to increase by 2.5 parts per million (19.5 GtCO₂) in 2022 to reach 417.2 parts per million averaged over the year, 51% above its pre-industrial level.

The remaining carbon budget for a 50% likelihood to limit global warming to 1.5°C, 1.7°C and 2°C has respectively reduced to 380 GtCO₂ (9 years at 2022 emissions levels), 730 GtCO₂ (18 years) and 1230 GtCO₂ (30 years).

Reaching zero CO₂ emissions by 2050 entails a total anthropogenic CO₂ emissions linear decrease by about 1.4 GtCO₂ each year, comparable to the observed fall in 2020 emissions resulting from COVID-19 measures, highlighting the scale of the action needed. This would result in additional emissions of 560 GtCO₂ from year 2023, leading to a 50% likelihood to limit warming to around 1.6°C.