Global energy CO2 emissions reached record high in 2024, report says

LONDON - Global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector hit a record high for the fourth year running in 2024, as fossil fuel use kept rising even as renewable energy reached a record high, the Energy Institute’s annual statistical review of world energy showed on June 26.

Why it’s important

The report's figures highlight the challenge of trying to wean the world economy off fossil fuels at a time when conflict in Ukraine has redrawn oil and gas flows from Russia, and fighting in the Middle East raises concern about security of supplies.

2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 deg C above the pre-industrial era for the first time.

By the numbers

The world saw a 2 per cent annual rise in total energy supply in 2024, with all sources of energy such as oil, gas, coal, nuclear, hydro and renewable energy registering increases, which last occurred in 2006, the report said.

This led to carbon emissions increasing by around 1 per cent in 2024 and exceeding the record level set the previous year at 40.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Of all the global fossil fuels, natural gas saw the biggest increase in generation, growing 2.5 per cent. Meanwhile, coal grew by 1.2 per cent to remain the largest source of generation globally, while oil growth was under 1 per cent.

Wind and solar energy expanded by 16 per cent in 2024, nine times faster than total energy demand, the report showed.

Context

Industry body the Energy Institute, which comprises energy professionals across levels, together with consultancies KPMG and Kearney, took over from BP in 2024 to author the report.

Analysts tracking progress have said the world is not on course to meet a global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 despite record amounts being added.

Key quotes

“Last year was another turning point for global energy, driven by rising geopolitical tensions,” Mr Romain Debarre of consultancy Kearney, one of the authors of the report, said in a release.

“COP28 set out a bold vision to triple global renewables by 2030, but progress is proving uneven and despite the rapid growth we have seen globally we are still not at the pace required,” said Ms Wafa Jafri, a partner at KPMG.

COP28 was the United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Dubai in 2023, at which countries signed a pact to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. REUTERS