CO2 Levels Rising
First CO2 rise in four years puts pressure on Paris targets By Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent, Bonn Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionConsumption of coal has grown once again in China after three years of decline Global emissions of CO2 in 2017 are projected to rise for the first time in four years, dashing hopes that a peak might soon be reached. The main cause of the expected growth has been greater use of coal in China as its economy expanded. Researchers are uncertain if the rise in emissions is a one-off or the start of a new period of CO2 build-up. Scientists say that a global peak in CO2 before 2020 is needed to limit dangerous global warming this century. The Global Carbon Project has been analysing and reporting on the scale of emissions of CO2 since 2006. Carbon output has grown by about 3% per year in that period, but growth essentially declined or remained flat between 2014 and 2016. The latest figures indicate that in 2017, emissions of CO2 f...