IEA Report: Energy-Linked CO2 Emissions Hit a Record High in 2018

The International Energy Agency in its ‘Global Energy & CO2 Status Report‘ gave an exhaustive analysis of the global energy trends and CO2 emissions. The demand of energy saw a spike of 2.3 percent in 2018, nearly twice the average rate of growth since 2010, driven by a robust global economy as well as higher heating and cooling needs in some parts of the world. Also, China, United States and India collectively accounted for nearly 70 % of the rise in energy demand around the world.

“We have seen an extraordinary increase in global energy demand in 2018, growing at its fastest pace this decade,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Last year can also be considered another golden year for gas, which accounted for almost half the growth in global energy demand.”

CO2 Emissions

Natural Gas was the fuel of choice last year, accounting for nearly 45% of the increase in total energy demand. As a result of higher energy consumption, CO2 emissions hit a new record. Global energy-related CO2 emissions increased to 33.1 Gt CO2, up 1.7%. Coal-fired power generation continues to be the single largest emitter, accounting for 30% of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

The United States had the largest increase in oil and gas(10%) demand worldwide.

For the first time, the IEA assessed the impact of fossil fuel use on global temperature increases. It found that CO2 emitted from coal combustion was responsible for over 0.3°C of the 1°C increase in global average annual surface temperatures above pre-industrial levels. This makes coal the single largest source of global temperature increase. Coal-fired electricity generation accounted for 30% of global CO2 emissions, and majority of these emissions came from Asia.

In China, CO2 emissions grew by 2.5%, or 230 Mt, to 9.5 Gt. A jump of over 5% in electricity generation from coal-fired power stations drove up emissions by 250 Mt, which more than offset the impact of a decline in coal use outside of the power sector.

India saw emissions rise by 4.8%, or 105 Mt, with the growth split evenly between power and other sectors such as transport and industry. Despite this growth, per capita emissions in India remain low at only 40% of the global average.

Emissions declined in Japan for a fifth year, with a decline across all fossil fuels largely due to both continued improvements in energy efficiency and the increase in generation from nuclear power stations.

Elsewhere, the United States saw a reversal of emission reductions, with an increase of 3.1% in CO2 emissions in 2018. Across Europe emissions fell by 1.3%, or 50 Mt, like a drop of 4.5% in Germany, as both oil and coal combustion fell sharply; Electricity generation from renewables also saw a record year in the United Kingdom, accounting for 35% of generation, as the share of coal fell to 5%, a record low.

Coal

Global coal demand increased by 0.7% in 2018, or 40 Mtce, growing for a second year as higher demand in Asia outpaced declines everywhere else. Coal’s shift to Asia continued in 2018. The growth in demand for coal took place in only some countries in Asia – China, India and a few countries in South and Southeast Asia – primarily because of the increased demand for electricity in these countries, for which coal generally outcompetes natural gas.