Carbon Emissions Reached Record High in 2023, IEA Says

Energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide hit a record high in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on Friday. The IEA analysis showed that it rose by 410 million tonnes, or 1.1%, in 2023 to 37.4 billion tonnes. From a report: 'Far from falling rapidly -- as is required to meet the global climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement -- CO2 emissions reached a new record high,' the IEA said. However, the Paris-based watchdog also found clean energy including wind and solar energy, as well as electric vehicles, had helped to offset the impact of the continued burning of coal and oil growth, which was 1.3% in 2022.

The reopening of China's economy after the COVID-19 pandemic and a recovery in the aviation sector contributed to an overall rise, the IEA said in its report. Severe droughts last year in China, the United States, India, and other countries hampered hydropower production. It accounted for around 40% of the rise in emissions or 170 million tonnes of CO2. 'Without this effect, emissions from the global electricity sector would have fallen in 2023,' the IEA said. Carbon dioxide emissions from coal accounted for the remaining increase. The IEA analysis showed that 2023 was the first year in which at least half of electricity generation in industrialized countries came from low-emission sources such as renewable energy and nuclear power. Energy-related emissions in the United States fell by 4.1%, and 9% in the European Union, driven by a surge in renewable power generation.

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