MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Global carbon emissions reach all-time high in 2021 after COVID-19

In the US and Europe, competition between gas and coal-fired power plants is the stiffest

The International Energy Agency (IEA) Tuesday warned through a statement that “global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose to their highest level ever in 2021 as economies recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and coal use increased.”

“The recovery in energy demand in 2021 was exacerbated by adverse weather and energy market conditions - most notably spikes in natural gas prices - which led to more coal being burned despite the highest-ever growth in renewable energy generation,” the IEA document further explained.

Global emissions from energy rose 6% in 2021 to a record 36.3 billion tons. China, which the IEA said was the only country to experience economic growth in both 2020 and 2021, was the largest driver of emissions growth, according to IEA's release.

“In 2021 alone, China's CO2 emissions exceeded 11.9 billion tons, accounting for 33% of the global total.”

Rising gas prices in Europe and the United States also contributed to the rise in global emissions, as electricity generators find it more profitable to burn coal, which emits twice as much carbon dioxide as gas-fired plants.

“The switch from gas to coal increased global carbon emissions from electricity generation by more than 100 million tons, especially in the United States and Europe, where competition between gas and coal-fired power plants is stiffest,” the IEA statement elaborated.