“International and national fossil fuel companies are making record revenues and need to take their share of responsibility,” Dr Birol said.
Global emissions from energy rose by 0.9 per cent in 2022 to a record 36.8 billion tonnes, the IEA analysis showed. Carbon dioxide emissions from coal grew by 1.6 per cent last year with many countries turning to the more polluting fuel after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a reduction in Russian gas supply to Europe sparked record high gas prices.Around half of the increase in oil-related emissions was due to a rise in air travel, which was rebounding from a low during the pandemic.
Lower output from nuclear power plants and extreme weather events including heatwaves also contributed to the increase in energy related emissions, the IEA said. Emissions were partly offset, however, by a rise in renewable power sources like wind and solar, energy efficiency measures and electric vehicles. These avoided an additional 550 million tonnes of CO2 emissions last year, the IEA said. REUTERS