Carbon emissions up 2%, experts say

People are pumping more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ever before, according to an international team of scientists.

An estimated 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide will be released this year, 2 percent more than 2016 and marking an end to a three-year hiatus in pollution growth driven by less-wasteful energy use that had given many people hope that emissions had peaked. The CO2 resurgence was caused mostly by China, which saw a rise in coal, oil and gas use this year.

The finding comes as diplomats in Bonn, Germany, this week etch details into the 2015 United Nations Paris climate agreement.

Carbon makes up only 0.04 percent of the atmosphere, but is a powerful heat-trapping gas and is the dominant cause of the rise in global temperatures. The five hottest years on record have happened since 2010, and 16 of the hottest 17 have occurred since 2000.

When deforestation is accounted for, 2017 should tie the 2015 CO2 record of about 41 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide released. — Bloomberg News