The world consumed record amounts of oil, coal and gas last year, pushing planet-warming carbon pollution to a new high, according to a report published Thursday, dashing climate scientists' hopes that global energy emissions could have reached the peak, reports CNN.
Increase in energy-related emissions
The rise in fossil fuels led to a 2.1% increase in energy-related emissions last year, pushing them above 40 billion metric tons for the first time, according to a report released Thursday by the Energy Institute.
The report paints a grim picture of a world struggling to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels, even as the impacts of the climate crisis grow more intense and deadly.
Extreme heat and climate impacts
Brutal extreme heat is currently scorching large parts of the planet. An unprecedented heat wave is sweeping across large parts of the US, which is also grappling with deadly wildfires, storms and severe flooding. Hundreds of people have died as temperatures soared to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9°C) during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. And India is currently grappling with a deadly summer heat wave that has killed dozens of people.
Renewable energy efforts and global energy demand
The report also shows that even as the world is adding record levels of clean, renewable energy, global energy demand is growing so fast that fossil fuels are filling the gaps.
Last year was "another record year for our energy-hungry world," said Juliet Davenport, president of the Energy Institute. "Energy is central to human progress," she added. "It is also central to our survival."
Global consumption of oil, coal and gas grew by 1.5% in 2023. Last year, the world consumed more than 100 million barrels per day for the first time, the report found. The US remained the largest oil producer, increasing its output by 8% last year.
Overall, the share of fossil fuels in the global energy mix for 2023 remained largely the same at 81.5%, down just 0.5% from last year. Fossil fuel growth was particularly strong in developing economies, the report found.
India's fossil fuel consumption rose by 8% last year and, for the first time ever, the country used more coal than Europe and North America combined.
In China, fossil fuel use hit a new record high in 2023, growing by 6%, as the end of prolonged Covid lockdowns led to a fossil fuel comeback. However, the share of fossil fuels in the country's overall energy mix is declining as China continues to add large amounts of renewable energy.
Positive developments in energy use in advanced economies
The report also shows some positive developments. Fossil fuel use in major advanced economies has likely peaked and is beginning to decline, the study points out. In the US, fossil fuels fell to 80% of total energy consumed. In Europe, fossil fuels accounted for less than 70% of the energy mix for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, driven by reduced demand and the rise of renewable energy.
Renewable energy production, excluding hydropower, rose 13% almost entirely due to a boom in wind and solar, according to the report, although the increase in renewables was not enough to meet the rise in global demand. for energy, which increased by 2% in 2023.
"In a year where we have seen the contribution of renewables reach a new record, ever-increasing global energy demand means that the share coming from fossil fuels has remained virtually unchanged," said Simon Varley, vice chairman and head of energy and natural resources at firm KPMG, which co-authored the report.
To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a target countries agreed to in the Paris Agreement in 2015, the world must halve emissions by the end of this decade.
