The world’s emissions have seesawed in recent years, plunging in 2020 amid pandemic-induced lockdowns only to rebound in 2021 and likely edge even higher in 2022.
Experts say 2023 could be the start of an emissions plateau, as the world’s largest emitters experience slow growth and invest more in renewable technology. But uncertainty reigns—especially on whether the world can begin the emissions dive necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“I think we’re still in a world of pretty flat global emissions,” said Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist who works at Stripe, a payment processing firm. “It is unlikely that we see deep global emission cuts over the next two years. Flattening was still better than what we were seeing in previous decades, but it is going to take time for the energy transition to pick up steam.”
Emissions likely increased in…
