Carbon Dioxide

Microsoft leads carbon removal purchases, but overall demand remains low

Thus far, upward of 13.5 million metric tonnes-worth of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits have been bought, and just 4.7 per cent of those have been delivered

Atmospheric CO2 reaches 800,000-year high at 420 ppm in 2023: WMO

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached 420 parts per million in 2023, the highest in the last 8,00,000 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of the Climate report published on Wednesday. The report said long-term global warming is currently estimated to be between 1.34 and 1.41 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 baseline. It said that tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and other disasters in 2024 led to the highest number of new displacements recorded in the past 16 years. These events also worsened food crises and caused massive economic losses. Carbon dioxide levels in 2023 (the latest year with complete global data) were 420.0 0.1 parts per million (ppm), 2.3 ppm higher than in 2022 and 151 per cent of the pre-industrial level (1750). The WMO said 420 ppm corresponds to 3,276 gigatonnes (or 3.276 trillion tonnes) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The report said the past 10 years (2015-2024) were the warmest on record, with each o

Green plan: IPCC gathers to draft outlines of seventh assessment report

IPCC Chair Jim Skea said it was a "pivotal session" for the delivery of the next report on global climate science

Green cover in India absorbed more carbon than it emitted annually: Study

The green cover in India has absorbed more carbon than it emitted annually in the last decade, but the rate of sequestration declines during extreme climate events such as drought, a study has revealed. The study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, also stressed the critical role of vegetation in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Green vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and releases it back into the air through respiration. "The overall balance between this uptake and release of CO2 is known as the net ecosystem exchange (NEE). When the NEE is positive, it means vegetation is releasing more carbon than it absorbs, and when it's negative, it indicates that the vegetation is effectively storing carbon," said Dhanyalekshmi Pillai, associate professor, head of the Max Planck Partner Group Germany, and of the Earth and Environmental Sciences, IISER Bhopal. "For the last decade,

5 new Indian industrial clusters join WEF; commit to growth, jobs creation

As many as 33 industrial clusters from 16 countries, including five from India, on Wednesday committed to economic growth, jobs creation, and emission cuts as part of the World Economic Forum's Transitioning Industrial Clusters Initiative. The initiative, first launched at COP26 climate summit in 2021, and developed in collaboration with Accenture and EPRI, now comprises 33 clusters in 16 countries and five continents, the largest coalition of co-located companies and public institutions pledging to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while boosting economic growth and job creation. The 33 signatories together represent potential carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions reductions of 832 million tonnes -- approximately the annual emissions of Saudi Arabia, the World Economic Forum announced here during its Annual Meeting 2025. They also make a direct contribution of USD 492 billion to gross domestic product (GDP) and support 4.3 million jobs. In addition, a new report, published

Auto-producer countries including Germany press EU to waive CO2 fines

Automakers have warned of plant closures and thousands of job losses, as they struggle with weak demand, Chinese competition and lower than expected electric vehicle sales

World's biggest steelmakers failing to switch to renewables: Survey

Steel is responsible for 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, around the same as India, with coal-fired blast furnaces producing 2 metric tons of CO2 for each ton of output

How the carbon debt issue places an unjust burden on Global South

The unfairness in the allocation of responsibility for controlling CO2 emissions is evident in the shifting of the burden of emission reductions from consumers to producers

Scientists predict next human and mammal extinction from Earth in new study

The study claims that Earth's continents are drifting and will one day form a single supercontinent. This will be accompanied by rising temperatures, making the human and mammalian survival impossible

China's CO2 emissions may fall by a third by 2035 with new UN targets

With China on course to meet its 2030 climate goals with relative ease, it could now capitalise on its renewable energy advantages

Carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide detected on Pluto's largest moon 'Charon'

Scientists have detected the gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto's largest moon, 'Charon', which they said could help understand how icy bodies originated and evolved in the outer Solar System. Once considered the ninth and last planet of the Solar System, Pluto was demoted to a 'dwarf planet' status in 2006, when members of the International Astronomical Union voted to scientifically define a 'planet' for the first time. According to the resolution passed then, a dwarf planet is one that has not been able to create a clear orbit for itself, free from debris. Pluto's orbit, lying in the Kuiper belt region beyond the planet Neptune, was thought to cross with those of other objects. Charon is the largest of the five known moons of Pluto and has been studied since it was discovered in 1978. Being extremely cold, there's practically no chance for life to exist on Pluto and water, essential for life, is present as ice. The team, led by researchers at the Southwest Resear

India outpaces global average in setting, reducing carbon emission targets

About 12 per cent of Indian companies report emissions, exceeding the global average of 9 per cent, while 24 per cent of Indian firms set emission reduction targets compared to 16 per cent globally

Credit Agricole CIB chooses carbon trading over precious metals: Report

Flight restrictions and precious metal refinery closures in early 2020 created worries that traders would not be able to move gold to the United States in time to deliver against futures contracts

Tata Steel launches virtual repository to track carbon dioxide savings

Private steel major Tata Steel recently launched a carbon bank, a virtual repository through which carbon dioxide will become a value-creating asset for future usage, a company statement said here on Wednesday. CO2 is widely recognized as a harmful substance emitted due to the use of various fossil fuels in industry and transportation. The steel industry, in particular, often relies on coal and other fossil fuels in its production line, resulting in the release of large quantities of CO2. The carbon bank is aimed at measuring and managing carbon dioxide savings generated from various sustainability projects. These savings not only contribute to environmental goals but also hold the potential for generating revenue that can be reinvested into further decarbonization efforts, it said. Rajiv Mangal, Vice President (Safety, Health & Sustainability), Tata Steel, said "In the face of mounting global concerns about sustainability, Tata Steel has taken proactive steps to spearhead carbon .

World's 'largest' vacuum designed to suck pollution out of air is now open

The vacuum is projected to remove 36,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to eliminating emissions from approximately 7,800 gas-powered cars for a year

GreenCell Mobility gets Rs 300 crore credit from SMBC for UP e-bus project

Under the terms of the agreement, SMBC has extended a long-term project finance facility to GreenCell Mobility for its 350 electric buses project in Uttar Pradesh, the company said in a statement

India among top 5 developing countries in aviation emissions in 2019: Study

In 2019, India was among the top five economically developing countries in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from aviation, a new research has found. Calculating "nearly real-time" aviation emissions using global flight data, researchers found that overall, the US, China and Great Britain were the topmost contributors, with 22 per cent, 14 per cent and roughly four per cent share. However, among the economically developing countries, India was found to be the third biggest contributor with close to three per cent share in global CO2 emissions from aviation, following China at 14 per cent and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at more than three per cent. The research team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology also found that India's share in global CO2 emissions from domestic aviation was the third highest at 1.5 per cent. "The countries with the highest absolute domestic aviation CO2 emissions (global percentage share in total CO2 aviation emissions in parenthese

Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in air last year hit new peak again

The levels of the crucial heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached historic highs last year, growing at near-record fast paces, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Carbon dioxide, the most important and abundant of the greenhouse gases caused by humans, rose in 2023 by the third highest amount in 65 years of record keeping, NOAA announced Friday. Scientists are also worried about the rapid rise in atmospheric levels of methane, a shorter-lived but more potent heat-trapping gas. Both jumped 5.5 per cent over the past decade. The 2.8 parts per million increase in carbon dioxide airborne levels from January 2023 to December, wasn't as high as the jumps were in 2014 and 2015, but they were larger than every other year since 1959, when precise records started. Carbon dioxide's average level for 2023 was 419.3 parts per million, up 50 per cent from pre-industrial times. Last year's methane's jump of 11.1 parts per billion was lower than record annual

Nitish releases draft report on strategies to cut carbon emission in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday released a draft report that proposes strategies to reduce carbon emission in the state. The draft report on 'climate-resilient and low-carbon development pathway for Bihar' is in line with India's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. "The report provides a timely first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis of future growth scenarios for Bihar to understand what a decarbonisation pathway entails and how it can spur economic growth, jobs and sustainability," state environment secretary Bandana Preyashi said at 'Bihar Climate Action Conclave' here. "The underlying principle driving the strategy is to embed climate action -- mitigation and adaptation -- into vision, programmes, policies, and budgets across sectors to lend credence to a net-zero and climate-resilient future," she added. According to the document, "development pathway focuses on choices and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and

Developing countries need more carbon space for growth: R K Singh

Developing countries need more carbon space for economic growth, Union Minister R K Singh said on Friday as he emphasised that 77 per cent of the legacy carbon dioxide load has been caused directly by the developed countries. India aims to reduce its carbon emission intensity by 45 per cent by 2030. "Now, what is the present status on our planet? You have some countries that are developed and their average per capita income as per IMF figures is about USD 58,700 per year," Singh said at the World Sustainable Development Summit 2024 in the national capital. Singh, who is in charge of the power as well as new and renewable energy ministries, said there are developing countries where the average per capita income is USD 6,770 per year. "Just imagine the disparity. Now these developed countries (became) developed using fossil fuels and you know 77 per cent of the legacy carbon dioxide load on our planet earth was caused directly by them... that has led to this global rise in temperatur