2022 Global CO2 Emissions Rise “Less Than Feared”

Global energy-related CO2 emissions rose by under 1% in 2022 a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. The organisation’s ‘CO2 Emissions in 2022’ report said the rise was “less than initially feared”, with the growth of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps and energy efficiency limiting the impacts of increased coal and oil usage. 2021 had seen an “exceptional jump” of 6% in CO2 emissions, and despite the rise not being as large this year emissions are still on an “unsustainable growth trajectory”, according to the IEA. While emissions only rose by 0.9%, that was still equivalent to 321 million tonnes of CO2, reaching a new high of more than 36.8 billion tonnes globally. Fatih Birol Executive Director at the IEA, said: “We still see emissions growing from fossil fuels, hindering efforts to meet the world’s climate targets. International and national fossil fuel companies are making record revenues and need to take their share of responsibility, in line with their public pledges to meet climate goals. It’s critical that they review their strategies to make sure they’re aligned with meaningful emissions reductions.” 

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