Emissions of CO2 from energy use reached a record high last year but rose less than expected, the IEA said today, as an increase in clean energy sources balanced out higher coal and oil use.
Global energy-related CO2 emissions edged up by 321mn t, or 0.9pc, year on year in 2022, according to IEA analysis published today, taking the total to a new all-time high of 36.8bn t. This included a 423mn t rise in energy combustion emissions and a 102mn t fall in industrial process emissions.
Emissions of CO2 from coal increased by 1.6pc, or 188mn t, largely owing to gas-to-coal switching in Asia and Europe. And CO2 from oil rose by 2.5pc, or 268mn t, half of which is accounted for by a recovery in air travel following the easing of restrictions relating to the Covid-19 crisis.
US emissions increased by 0.8pc, or 36mn t, in response to extreme temperatures. And emissions from emerging and developing economies in Asia, excluding China, rose by 4.2pc, or 206mn t, on the year as their economies and energy demand grew. China's CO2emissions edged down by 0.2pc, or 23mn t, in the context of ongoing Covid-19 lockdown measures and lower construction activity.
Last year's increase in emissions was "less than initially feared" because of higher solar and wind production, more electric vehicles and heat pumps, and improved energy efficiency, the IEA said. The rise significantly lagged global economic growth of 3.2pc, and compares with a 6pc year-on-year increase in global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2021, as economies rebounded from the effects of efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total 550mn t of emissions were avoided in 2022 through increased clean energy technology deployment, the IEA's analysis finds. "Without clean energy, the growth in CO2 emissions would have been nearly three times as high," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said.
The EU's emissions fell by 2.5pc, or 70mn t, on the year because of record renewable rollout, mild weather in early winter and energy-saving measures implemented by countries in the region in an effort to manage tightened gas supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Combined wind and solar power generation in the bloc exceeded that of gas-fired plants or nuclear units for the first time, according to IEA analysis.
But "stronger actions" are needed to reverse the "unsustainable" trend of growing emissions globally, according to the IEA.
"International and national fossil fuel companies are making record revenues and need to take their share of responsibility, in line with their public pledges to meet climate goals," said Birol. "It's critical that they review their strategies to make sure they're aligned with meaningful emissions reductions."
