Bonn (Germany), Nov 13 (EFE) .- Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil fuels will grow by 2% in 2017 after three stagnant years, due to fundamentally to the greater use of coal in China, as evidenced by the Global Carbon Budget.

This study, called in English Carbon Budget Project, which elaborates annually about 80 scientists from 15 countries and will be published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, was presented today by its main authors at the summit of the climate of Bonn (COP23).

Its main conclusion is that 2017 will close with 37,000 million tons of carbon dioxide more in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels, which represents an increase of 2% compared to the previous year, with a margin of error between 0.8% and 3%.

If to that figure the rest of CO2 emissions are added activities such as deforestation, 2017 would be worth 41 billion tons more CO2.

Glen Peters, director of the CICERO research center in Oslo and one of the authors "The rise in emissions in 2017 is mainly due to the growth of China's emissions, which will increase by 3.5% after two years stabilized. "

Scientists pointed directly to increased use of coal (3% more than in 2016), which remains the main source of energy in China, and a lower hydroelectric generation as the factors causing the increase of emissions of the Asian giant, which is fundamental in the overall result since it is responsible for 28% of the gases.

However, the figure for growth of emissions in China is lower than the increase in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast for 2017 by 6.8%.

that the gases of India grow 2%, a figure lower than the average of increase of emissions of this country in the last decade (6%) and inferior also to the forecast of the growth of its GDP, of 6.7%.

The United States, however, will reduce its emissions by 0.4% in 2017, slightly less than the average of 1.2% that it has been reducing in the last to an increase in GDP of 2.2% expected for this year.

In response to the reporters, the researchers indicated that they do not foresee a rebound in emissions in the US, despite the President Donald Trump's carbon incentive policies.

For its part, the European Union (EU) will lower its emissions this year by 0.2%, lower than the 2.2% annual decrease average of the last decade, in which the increase of its GDP was 2.3%.

Scientists calculate that the emissions of the remaining countries, which represent around 40% of gases worldwide, increase by around 2.3% in 2017.

According to one of the main authors, the professor from Stanford University (California, USA), Robert Jackson, the increase in emissions is due to an improvement in the global economy: "We produce more goods and that, by nature, brings more emissions, so the key is to produce and consume from another way. "

Professor Corinne Le Quéré, director of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), said that" this increase of emissions shows that time is running out in our ability to keep the warming well below the two degrees, and if possible in 1.5, as set out in the Agreement of Paris ".

" This increase in emissions occurs in a year in which we have clearly seen how climate change can amplify the impact of hurricanes with stronger rains, higher sea levels and warmer oceanic conditions that favor more powerful storms ", added Le Queré.

In the long term, scientists indicated that it is unlikely that the emissions return to the high growth rates observed during the first decade of this century, with increases of around 3% per year, and that "most likely, they tend to stabilize. "

The fundamental thing, in his opinion, is that global emissions touch roof as soon as possible, and countries begin to drastically reduce their gases from there to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

They also recalled that although emissions will grow by 2% this year, GDP will increase by 3.6% according to the International Monetary Fund data, and renewable generation grows at an average annual rate of 14% for five years.