
World likely to exhaust carbon budget for 1.5-deg C limit in 3 years: Scientists
The carbon budget refers to the total amount of carbon dioxide the planet can emit while still having a good chance of staying below a certain temperature threshold. In this case, the limit is 1.5 degrees Celsius, which countries agreed to at the Paris climate conference in 2015.
New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) If the world continues to release carbon dioxide at the current rate, the carbon budget for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will be exhausted in just over three years, according to an international group of scientists.
The latest 'Indicators of Global Climate Change' study, published in the journal Earth System Science Data, also found that the carbon budget for 2 degrees Celsius could be exceeded by 2048 if current levels of CO2 emissions continue.
Scientists said human activities have led to the release of around 53 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gt CO2e) into the atmosphere every year over the past decade. This is mainly due to increasing emissions from burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
In the last 10 years (2015 to 2024), the Earth's temperature was 1.24 degrees Celsius higher than it was before the industrial era began. Scientists say 1.22 degrees Celsius of this warming was caused by human activities.
The year 2024 was the hottest on record and marked the first calendar year with a global average temperature more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850–1900 baseline, the period before human activities such as fossil fuel use began significantly affecting the climate.
A permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius target in the Paris Agreement refers to sustained warming over a 20 to 30-year period.
Last month, the World Meteorological Organization said there is a 70 per cent chance that the average global temperature between 2025 and 2029 will exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In 2022, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to keep the temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution.
However, IPCC Chair Jim Skea told PTI in an interview in March that the 43 per cent reduction target is now outdate due to a lack of action, meaning the actual reduction needed is even higher. PTI GVS NB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Watch: Shubhanshu Shukla Learns To Walk Again After Spending 18 Days In Space
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from a successful space mission last week, is relearning to walk on Earth again. Mr Shukla was among the four crew members who flew aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on June 25 as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned safely to Earth on July 15 after spending approximately 18 days aboard the ISS. On Tuesday, Mr Shukla shared a video on Instagram of himself trying to walk again and getting used to gravity. In the clip, he is seen being helped by two other people as he puts each step in front of the last one. "I have received a lot of messages regarding my health and wishing me speedy recovery. I want to thank you all and also give an update. Experiencing microgravity, our body goes through several changes like fluid shift, heart rate, balance readjustment, muscle loss. These are adaptations to the new environment. Once the body gets used to this and we return to gravity, these adjustments happen once again. Though it varies for all astronauts, the body soon starts adapting to its new environment. I was surprised to observe the pace with which our body can adjust to new settings," Mr Shukla wrote in the caption of the post. "In the pursuit of the unknown(space), you get to know more about yourself," he added. Take a look at the video below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shubhanshu Shukla (@ Mr Shukla and the three other mission astronauts will remain in quarantine until July 23 to complete medical and re-adaptation procedures, according to an official statement quoting Union Minister Jitendra Singh. In an interview with PTI, Mr Singh said Mr Shukla's three-week stay at the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission has given India valuable insights and experience in handling space missions as it prepares for its own Gaganyaan project. It gave a tremendous amount of experience, expertise for India's future voyages and also put the country in a better position for large international collaborations, the Union Minister continued. "But most of all, it also sends out a huge, huge message across the globe. Now, India has come of age as far as the space sector is concerned," he said. Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crewmates splashed down off the coast of California on July 15. During their time aboard the ISS, Mr Shukla and the Ax-4 crew were involved in over 60 scientific experiments and outreach initiatives. Mr Shukla is only the second Indian to visit space. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was the first to do so in 1984.


India.com
10 hours ago
- India.com
Giant Mysterious Circles In Saudi Desert Baffle Internet – What's Going On Beneath The Sand?
Riyad (Saudi Arabia): Something unusual has begun to appear in Saudi Arabia's northern desert. Satellite images show vast green and circular patches in the desert that stand out like alien markings on a golden canvas of sand. These are not ancient symbols or signs of extraterrestrial life, but something far more earthly – fields of crops, which are designed in giant circles. The images came from space. The European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite caught them while scanning the desolate terrain earlier this year. To the untrained eye, the pictures are puzzling. Dozens of glowing and geometric rings scattered across the otherwise barren expanse. The kind of images that light up online speculation and ignite wild theories. But behind the visual mystery lies an engineered ambition. These circles are a glimpse into Saudi Arabia's agricultural experiment, one where desert becomes farmland. The satellite captured them from nearly 700 kilometres above the earth. Taken in October 2024, January 2025 and again in May, the photos document subtle changes over time. Each of these circular fields spans nearly a kilometre in diameter. At the center of each circle lies a deep well, tapping into aquifers far below. Long arms, fitted with rotating sprinklers, spiral around the central point, showering the soil evenly. This is precision farming, adapted to one of the world's most extreme climates. In a country where rain is rare and summer temperatures often soar beyond 50 degree Celsius, these green rings offer a rare sight. Wheat, vegetables and alfalfa pushing through dry ground. The location is near the city of Tabarjal, inside the Wadi as-Sirhan basin. It is a place once defined only by its dust and rock. Now, it is part of an ambitious transformation. From above, it looks like a surreal and psychedelic art installation. On the ground, it is the outcome of carefully managed irrigation systems, relentless sunlight and underground water reserves being pumped upward to sustain life. But scientists are raising a warning. The underground aquifers feeding these fields are not being replenished. With every rotation of the sprinklers, the water table drops a little lower. Over time, without new sources of water or more sustainable techniques, these green miracles could fade. In the satellite images, the contrast is clear. The glowing circles stand surrounded by dark patches – bare earth, dry sand and land without vegetation. Among them, Tabarjal shines as a modest yet vital hub. It keeps the region alive, supplying food, supporting rural communities and now, drawing the world's gaze. From orbit to oasis, this patch of Saudi Arabia is telling a story of human determination, natural limits and a desert slowly reimagined.


The Print
13 hours ago
- The Print
TTD inaugurates advanced lab to test food quality, ghee in-house
According to TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao, earlier there was no facility to test the quality of ghee in Tirumala and now for the first time equipment like GC (Gas Chromatograph) and HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatograph) have been installed. The chairman noted that samples, which had to be sent to other states for testing earlier can now be tested directly in Tirumala itself with state-of-the-art equipment, a release said. Tirupati, Jul 22 (PTI) Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman BR Naidu on Tuesday inaugurated a food quality testing laboratory in Tirumala, which will test ghee and prasadam, officials said. He noted that this equipment has the ability to instantly analyze adulteration and quality percentage of ghee. Equipment worth Rs 75 lakh was donated by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of Gujarat, said Rao. Further, he observed that lab staff and potu (kitchen) workers have undergone special training at Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore. Moreover, he said arrangements have been made to check the quality of prasadams in this lab to provide results immediately. PTI STH ADB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.