Iran Greenhouse Gas Emissions Up 3% in Decade

For Iran, tackling climate change is crucial because of its impacts on water resources and forests, both of which have suffered greatly as a result of rising global temperatures.

According to Iran’s Meteorological Organization, the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased by 3% in the past decade and the average temperature has risen by 1.8 degrees Celsius since 1750, considerably higher than the global average of 1.1°C. 

Climate scientists say emissions from fossil fuels and industrial uses are projected to grow 2% this year, reaching 41 billion tons by the end of 2017, according to the report presented at the United Nations’ climate summit in Bonn, Germany, which is underway until Nov. 17.

The increase was predicted to continue in 2018, Huffington Post reported. According to Zist Online, Iran's representative to the conference, Farideh Oladqaba suggested schemes to increase Iran's capacity against climate change, transfer technology and extend financial support to less developed countries for lessening the destructive effects of the global phenomenon.

A climate change roadmap unveiled by the Iranian government in 2016 states the need for significant policy reform in the energy sector, which is responsible for over 90% of Iran’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, policy reforms must also be accompanied by modern technology.

The Iranian government has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 4% in 2030. If sufficient financial aid is allocated, Iran says it can reduce emissions by a further 8%.

  Fuel Emissions to Hit All-Time High

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are surging again after staying flat for three years, a sign that efforts to rein in planet-warming gases still have a long way to go.

Total greenhouse gas emissions remained level, at about 36 billion tons per year from 2014-16, even as the global economy grew, which suggested carbon dioxide emissions had crested with the rise of renewable electricity sources and improved fuel efficiency standards.

But emissions from fossil fuels will hit 37 billion tons this year, a report from the Global Carbon Project has found. The report draws from three papers in the journals Nature Climate Change, Environmental Research Letters and Earth System Science Data Discussions.

“This is very disappointing,” Corinne Le Quere, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, said in a statement.

“We need to reach a peak in global emissions in the next few years and drive emissions down rapidly afterwards to address climate change and limit its impacts."

The increase is particularly alarming because carbon dioxide emitted today has effects decades later, meaning that even if countries completely halted emissions, the world would continue to warm for years to come.

“This year we have seen how climate change can amplify the impacts of hurricanes with stronger downpours of rain, higher sea levels and warmer ocean conditions favoring more powerful storms,” Le Quere said. “This is a window into the future.”

The bulk of increase came from China, where emissions are projected to grow by 3.5%, driven by a rise in coal consumption. China won praise earlier this year for setting aside $360 billion for renewable energy investment over the next four years and canceling 103 new coal-fired power plants. But the country's coal consumption grew by 3%, while the use of oil and gas continued to rise.

US emissions are expected to decline by 0.4%, thanks to the widespread conversion of power plants to natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide, but is still responsible for an uptick in heat-trapping methane.

However, US coal consumption increased in 2017 for the first time in five years, because of higher natural gas prices—a trend Trump promised to encourage with policies favorable to coal companies.