“The rebound in global carbon emissions toward
the end of last year is a stark warning that
not enough is being done to accelerate clean
energy transitions worldwide,” said the agency’s
executive director, Fatih Birol. “If governments
don’t move quickly with the right energy
policies, this could put at risk the world’s historic
opportunity to make 2019 the definitive peak in
global emissions.”
Scientists have previously calculated that
emissions of carbon dioxide, the main
greenhouse gas responsible for global warming,
fell by 7% during the full year 2020 as people
stayed at home because of the pandemic.
The U.N. Environment Program has said such a
decline would be needed every year for the next
decade if the world is going to stay on track to
meet the Paris climate accord’s goal of keeping
average temperatures from rising by 2 degrees
Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than
1.5C (2.7F) — compared with pre-industrial times.
The IEA figures suggest that is unlikely to happen.
“Our numbers show we are returning to
carbon-intensive business-as-usual,” said Birol.
“These latest numbers are a sharp reminder
of the immense challenge we face in rapidly
transforming the global energy system.”
IEA figures show that China was the only major
economy whose emissions grew in 2020, while
those in the United States fell by 10% compared
to 2019. By December, U.S. energy emissions
were close to the levels seen in the same month
of 2019, the agency said, attributing this to
economic recovery and greater coal use due to
higher gas prices and colder weather.