Global CO2 Emissions Surge: COP30 Highlights Urgent Need for International Mitigation Action
November 13, 2025
Over the last decade, some 35 countries have significantly cut fossil-fuel emissions while growing their economies, showing decarbonization is feasible even as global peaks remain uncertain.
The report is presented alongside COP30 reporting from Belem, Brazil, framing emissions data within the broader climate talks and geopolitical dynamics of climate leadership.
Within the same publication, coverage emphasizes climate policy discussions, COP30 context, and related coverage to provide a fuller picture.
Experts stress that there is no alternative to mitigation and that urgent international cooperation is crucial to change the trajectory.
COP30 discussions, along with statements from climatologists and UN bodies, underscore that the 1.5°C target is no longer achievable under current trajectories, shifting focus to limiting overshoot duration.
While solar, wind, batteries, and preserved carbon sinks show progress, analysts caution that these changes alone are insufficient to meet Paris-aligned goals.
Global CO2 emissions are projected to rise again in 2025, reaching about 38.1 billion tonnes after a 1.1% advance from 2024, signaling an ongoing upward trend.
Leading researchers warn that the current pace makes staying within the 1.5°C budget essentially impossible unless momentum shifts dramatically.
The COP30 events in Belem underscore ongoing challenges in cutting planet-heating emissions and meeting climate targets as the emissions peak remains unreached.
The strategy of stopping the rise in fossil-fuel emissions first, then driving them downward, remains unmet according to the latest data.
The report notes that the emission peak has not yet occurred, keeping the window to slow climate change uncertain as COP30 unfolds.
Summary based on 30 sources
Get a daily email with more World News stories
Sources

BBC News • Nov 13, 2025
Fossil fuel emissions rise again - but renewables boom offers hope for climate
Yahoo News • Nov 13, 2025
Relentless rise in carbon pollution from fossil fuels slightly dampens climate-fighting hopes
Time • Nov 13, 2025
Fossil Fuel CO2 Emissions Set to Hit Record High in 2025