‘GIANT LEAP BACKWARD’

Scientists: Fossil-Fuel Burning Set to Hit Record This Year

“It is time to take really seriously the implementation of the Paris agreement.”

Climate scientists warn that the burning of fossil fuels the world over is set to hit a new record this year, in a “giant leap backward for humankind.” It’s not yet clear if that anticipated increase in CO2 emissions marks a new upward trend, but experts say the implementation of the Paris Climate Accord is now more important than ever. “This is very disappointing,” said Corinne Le Quéré, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. She led the new research. “The urgency for reducing emissions means they should really be already decreasing now,” she noted, calling the catastrophic hurricanes and floods this year so far “a window into the future.” She added, “What happens after 2017 is very open and depends on how much effort countries are going to make. It is time to take really seriously the implementation of the Paris agreement.”