There’s Too Much Carbon Going Into the Air to Hit Climate Goals

The pace of rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere needs to slow by about 20% over the next five years in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels, according to the latest analysis from the U.K.’s Met Office.

The department’s annual CO2 forecast is a reminder that current efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient, meaning the world needs to act even more aggressively in future years to have any chance of reaching global climate targets.

This year, the average CO2 concentration likely will increase by 2.14 parts per million, the Met Office said. That’s actually a slower pace than in recent years, thanks to higher amounts of carbon-removing plant growth driven by weather conditions from the La Niña phenomenon.