Reply #16: Carbon Dioxide Emissions at Record High

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http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Carbon_Dioxide_Emissions_at_Record_High_110601

Worldwide emissions of carbon-dioxide increased to record levels last year, prompting scientists to warn that current energy production could make it difficult to meet the goal for slowing down the rate of global warming.

In 2010, CO2 emissions totaled 30.6 Gigatonnes, representing a 5% jump from 2008, the previous record year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The IEA also reported that 80% of projected emissions for 2020 are “already locked in,” which means the world has limited wiggle room to make adjustments for slowing down CO2 releases. World leaders had agreed at their climate change conference last year to keep global temperature increases to 2°C. But at the current pace of emissions, meeting this goal is questionable.