Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels fell 0.4% in 2026, but scientists say the drop was caused by the Iran war closing the Strait of Hormuz, not by climate action. Oil emissions dropped nearly 2%, while coal emissions rose 0.6%. The study from the Global Carbon Project highlights that this is the third such drop this century, following the 2009 recession and the 2020 pandemic, and warns that past recoveries have returned emissions to prior levels. China's emissions fell about 1%, raising hopes that its emissions may have peaked, but India's rose 4.4%. Overall, including land use changes, total CO2 emissions actually increased 1% in 2026. The findings were presented at UN climate talks and published in Earth System Science Data Discussions and Nature Climate Change.
