Global Carbon Emissions Set For Second-Biggest Increase In History: International Energy Agency

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Power plants that burn fossil fuels release carbon dioxide as well as a complex soup of chemicals, including nitrogen and sulfur. These chemicals in the air actually help keep global warming in check by reflecting sunlight back into space. Above, the Bruce Mansfield Power Plant in Shippingport, Pa.

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are on course to surge by 1.5 billion tonnes in 2021 – the second-largest increase in history – reversing most of last year’s decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report shows.

This will be the biggest annual rise in emissions since 2010 during the carbon-intensive recovery from the global financial crisis. The IEA’s Global Energy Review 2021 estimates that CO2 emissions will increase by almost 5 per cent this year to 33 billion tonnes, based on the latest national data from around the world as well as real-time analysis of economic growth trends and new energy projects that are set to come online.

The key driver is coal demand which is set to grow by 4.5 per cent, surpassing its 2019 level and approaching its all-time peak from 2014, with the electricity sector accounting for three-quarters of this increase.

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NDTV
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