Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose Last Year. Here Are the Top 5 Reasons.
- 6 years ago
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose Last Year. Here Are the Top 5 Reasons.
“The overall share of fossil fuels in global energy demand in 2017 remained at 81 percent,” the agency’s report said, “a level
that has remained stable for more than three decades despite strong growth in renewables.”
If the world wants to cut emissions quickly and meet the climate goals laid out in the Paris Agreement, the I. E.A.
For now, however, we’re still moving in the opposite direction: Carbon dioxide emissions from the use of coal, oil
and natural gas increased 1.4 percent globally in 2017 after holding steady for the previous three years, the International Energy Agency reported on Thursday.
China, which is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s industrial greenhouse gases, saw its emissions
rise 1.7 percent in 2017, fueled by rapid economic growth and an increase in oil and natural gas use.
That jump in Asian emissions overshadowed cuts made elsewhere in the world: The United States, for instance,
reduced its emissions 0.5 percent last year, driven by the growing deployment of renewable energy.
Over the past few years, coal demand has plummeted around the world as countries like the United States
and China shift away from the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels.
“The overall share of fossil fuels in global energy demand in 2017 remained at 81 percent,” the agency’s report said, “a level
that has remained stable for more than three decades despite strong growth in renewables.”
If the world wants to cut emissions quickly and meet the climate goals laid out in the Paris Agreement, the I. E.A.
For now, however, we’re still moving in the opposite direction: Carbon dioxide emissions from the use of coal, oil
and natural gas increased 1.4 percent globally in 2017 after holding steady for the previous three years, the International Energy Agency reported on Thursday.
China, which is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s industrial greenhouse gases, saw its emissions
rise 1.7 percent in 2017, fueled by rapid economic growth and an increase in oil and natural gas use.
That jump in Asian emissions overshadowed cuts made elsewhere in the world: The United States, for instance,
reduced its emissions 0.5 percent last year, driven by the growing deployment of renewable energy.
Over the past few years, coal demand has plummeted around the world as countries like the United States
and China shift away from the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels.