Global carbon dioxide emissions linked to energy surged by 1.1% in 2023 to a record high, fuelled largely by growth in China and a reduction in hydroelectric production as a result of droughts, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
These emissions, which account for around 90% of human-emitted CO2, rose by 410 million tonnes, peaking at 37.4 billion tonnes last year according to the agency, based in Paris. The increase was slightly less significant than in 2022, which saw a growth of 490 million tonnes.
2023 was notable for a historic drop in global hydroelectric production due to severe and extended droughts affecting several regions worldwide.
This alone increased CO2 emissions by about 170 million tonnes, as affected countries such as China, Canada, Mexico turned to more polluting ways of generating electricity, for instance with oil and coal.
A hunger stone revealed by the lower water level of the Elbe river in the Czech Republic. Severe droughts uncovered the centuries-old markings. Credit: Norbert Kaiser / Wikimedia Commons
China's CO2 emissions grew by 565 million tonnes as the world's most polluting country continued its economic in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. By contrast, advanced economies experienced a record drop in emissions despite GDP growth, with the use of coal at a historic low since the early 1900s.
Is 1.5°C a lost cause?
The 2023 figures come at a time when greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors need to decrease by 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Failure to do so will mean going above the 1.5°C limit defined by the Paris Agreement. Global emissions must also peak by 2025.
The IEA emphasised the significant contribution of “clean” energy, including renewables: “The transition to clean energy is progressing rapidly and curbing emissions even as global energy demand rises faster in 2023 than in 2022,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol.
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Between 2019 and 2023, energy-related emissions surged by some 900 million tonnes. However, the IEA noted that without the deployment of five key technologies – solar, wind, nuclear, heat pumps, and electric cars – this figure would have been three times higher.
On Friday, the agency released a separate report specifically about the clean energy market, which showed a substantial rise in solar and wind power. But roll-out is heavily concentrated in advanced economies and China and the rest of the world lags behind.
“We urgently need to amplify efforts to enable emerging and developing economies to boost their investments in clean energies,” Birol reiterated.
