Fossil gasoline use reaches international document regardless of clear power progress

The world’s consumption of fossil fuels climbed to a document excessive final yr, driving emissions to greater than 40 gigatonnes of CO₂ for the primary time, in accordance with a worldwide power report.

Regardless of a document rise in using renewable power in 2023, consumption of fossil fuels continued to extend too, an annual evaluate of world power by the Vitality Institute discovered.

Juliet Davenport, the president of the Energy Institute, mentioned the report had revealed “one other yr of highs in our energy-hungry world” together with a document excessive consumption of fossil fuels, which rose by 1.5% to 505 exajoules.

The findings threaten to sprint hopes held by local weather scientists that 2023 can be recorded as the year in which annual emissions peaked earlier than the worldwide fossil gasoline economic system begins a terminal decline.

The Vitality Institute, the worldwide skilled physique for the power sector, discovered that whereas energy business emissions could have reached a peak in superior economies, growing economies are persevering with to extend their reliance on coal, fuel and oil.

Total, fossil fuels made up 81.5% of the world’s major power final yr, down solely marginally from 82% the yr earlier than, in accordance with the report, at the same time as wind and photo voltaic farms generated record amounts of clean electricity.

The report, authored by consultants at KPMG and Kearney, discovered that wind and solar energy climbed by 13% final yr to succeed in a brand new document of 4,748 terawatt hours in 2023.

However that was not sufficient to match the world’s rising consumption of major power, which rose 2% final yr to a document excessive of 620 exajoules and led to extra fossil gasoline use.

The evaluate discovered that the world’s urge for food for fuel remained regular in 2024 whereas consumption of coal climbed by 1.6% and oil demand rose by 2% to succeed in 100m barrels a day for the primary time.

Simon Virley, the UK head of power and pure sources at KPMG, mentioned: “In a yr the place we’ve got seen the contribution of renewables reaching a brand new document excessive, ever growing international power demand means the share coming from fossil fuels has remained just about unchanged at simply over 80% for one more yr.”

Nick Wayth, the Vitality Institute’s chief govt, added that the “gradual” progress of the power transition “masks numerous power tales taking part in out throughout completely different geographies”.

“In superior economies, we observe indicators of demand for fossil fuels peaking, contrasting with economies within the international south for whom financial growth and enhancements in high quality of life proceed to drive fossil progress,” mentioned Wayth.

The report discovered that, in India, fossil gasoline consumption climbed by 8% final yr, matching the rise in general power demand to make up 89% of all power use. This meant that, for the primary time, extra coal was utilized in India than Europe and North America mixed, it mentioned.

In Europe, fossil fuels fell to beneath 70% of major power use for the primary time for the reason that Industrial Revolution, pushed by falling demand and the expansion of renewable power.

Europe’s demand for fuel particularly has continued to tumble since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which triggered pipeline fuel imports into Europe to break down. Total fuel demand fell by 7% in 2023, in accordance with the report, after a fall of 13% the earlier yr.