A look at 1983 CO2emissions from fossil fuels (with preliminary data for 1984)

During 1983, global emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels continued to decline slightly, to a value of 4932 millions tons carbon compared to 4957 million tons carbon in 1982. This marked the 4th consecutive year that CO2 emissions from fuel use has declined. Even though cement production has continued to increase very slowly, the annual CO2 emissions from the combination of fuels and cement showed the relative decline that occurred in emissions from fuels alone. Although preliminary, data for 1984 strongly suggest that the decline is over; CO2 emissions in 1984 were greater than any previous year other than 1979. Examination of each fuel type reveals that the decline in the total emissions between 1979 and 1983 was a result of reduced use of liquid fuels. Both gas and solid fuels continue to grow, albeit at a very slow pace. Growth in fossil fuel use and resulting CO2 emissions has continued in the developing world in contrast to the decline observed in developed countries of the western world in recent years. This could have important implications for growth in global emissions in future years.