This is quite a good news story:
Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose less strongly in 2023 than the year before, even as total energy demand growth accelerated, new IEA analysis shows, with continued expansion of solar PV, wind, nuclear power and electric cars helping the world avoid greater use of fossil fuels.
The report notes that without clean energy technologies, the global increase in CO2 emissions in the last five years would have been three times larger.
IEA: Major growth of clean energy limited the rise in global emissions in 2023 – Climate Action
This is from the International Energy Association itself:
Advanced economies saw a record fall in their CO2 emissions in 2023 even as their GDP grew. Their emissions dropped to a 50-year low while coal demand fell back to levels not seen since the early 1900s. The decline in advanced economies’ emissions was driven by a combination of strong renewables deployment, coal-to-gas switching, energy efficiency improvements and softer industrial production. Last year was the first in which at least half of electricity generation in advanced economies came from low-emissions sources like renewables and nuclear.
“The clean energy transition has undergone a series of stress tests in the last five years – and it has demonstrated its resilience,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “A pandemic, an energy crisis and geopolitical instability all had the potential to derail efforts to build cleaner and more secure energy systems. Instead, we’ve seen the opposite in many economies. The clean energy transition is continuing apace and reining in emissions – even with global energy demand growing more strongly in 2023 than in 2022. The commitments made by nearly 200 countries at COP28 in Dubai in December show what the world needs to do to put emissions on a downward trajectory. Most importantly, we need far greater efforts to enable emerging and developing economies to ramp up clean energy investment.”
Major growth of clean energy limited the rise in global emissions in 2023 – News – IEA
And this is the summary of their report – together with a link:
“CO2 Emissions in 2023″ provides a complete picture of energy-related emissions in 2023. The report finds that clean energy growth has limited the rise in global emissions, with 2023 registering an increase of 1.1%. Weather effects and continued Covid-19 reopening played a significant role in driving emissions in 2023. Advanced economies saw a record decrease in their emissions, which are now back to the level of fifty years ago. This release brings together the IEA’s latest analysis, combining the Agency’s estimates of CO2 emissions from all energy sources and industrial processes.
CO2 Emissions in 2023 – Analysis – IEA
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