Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels rose by 2.5 percent last year to 34 billion metric tons Germany’s renewable energy institute said on Tuesday. China led the table of emitters in 2011 with a 6.5 percent. Its CO2 output was 50 percent more than the 6 billion metric tons in the United States. India was third, followed by Russia, Japan and Germany. In May the International Energy Agency said that global CO2 emissions rose 3.2 percent last year to 31.6 billion metric tons.
“If the current trend is sustained, worldwide CO2 emissions will go up by another 20 percent to over 40 billion metric tons by 2020,” IWR director Norbert Allnoch said.The IWR has suggested the implementation of an alternative model to the existing approach involving the agreement of CO2 thresholds “We need an economically friendly approach to investment and not a limitation model, which is clearly not being accepted”, said Allnoch. The IWR is proposing the implementation of the CERINA plan in order to slow down the further increase in global emissions. This plan provides for CO2 emissions in the individual states to be linked to investments in climate-friendly technologies, such as renewable forms of energy. The higher the CO2 emissions, the greater the investment in climate protection.