• 2021 was the year with the highest CO2 emissions ever recorded in the energy sector.
• A CO2 emissions record: they rose by 6 per cent compared to 2020.
• China was the country that produced the most greenhouse gases of all, while in the US and EU they fell.

CO2 emissions from the energy sector at a global level rose by 6 per cent in 2021, reaching the highest level ever recorded in the history of measurements in this sector. This represents a staggering increase, driven by the global economic recovery after a year — 2020 — defined by the Covid-19 pandemic. A record for emissions marked by a restart that relied heavily — too heavily — on coal: so says an analysis just published by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Record CO2 emissions despite record renewables

The post-pandemic era was supposed to restart under the banner of sustainability and responsible consumption. That is not how it went. In 2021, global CO2 emissions from the energy sector actually rose by more than 2 billion tonnes, marking the largest increase in history in absolute terms. The year just passed therefore more than offset 2020, when we touched one of the lowest emission levels on record: the energy sector, in fact, is responsible for almost three-quarters of global carbon dioxide emissions.

The economic recovery, further hampered by adverse weather conditions, triggered a demand for energy that was met largely by coal. Moreover, the energy market was characterised, especially in the final part of the year, by a spike in natural gas prices that pushed several countries to favour coal. All this despite the fact that renewable energy generation posted its largest growth ever.

More than 40 per cent of the increase is due to coal

Coal is responsible for more than 40 per cent of this growth. Emissions linked to gas also rose, while CO2 emissions dependent on oil fell, mainly due to the collapse of aviation caused by the pandemic.

Over the same period, renewable energy sources grew (as did the contribution of nuclear energy). In particular, generation from renewable sources reached an all-time high, surpassing 8,000 terawatt-hours in 2021, 500 more than in 2020. Wind and solar photovoltaic power generation rose by 270 and 170 terawatts respectively, while hydropower generation fell due to drought, particularly in the United States and Brazil.

International Energy Agency @IEA

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Global energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 6% in 2021, rebounding to their highest level in history.

The annual rise in CO2 emissions of over 2 billion tonnes, the largest ever in absolute terms, was driven mainly by increased use of coal.

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China is the country that produced the most CO2 emissions in 2021

The use of coal for electricity generation intensified due to record natural gas prices. The operating costs of existing coal-fired power plants in the United States and in many European energy systems were considerably lower than those of gas-fired plants for most of 2021.

But the record increase in global CO2 emissions — referring still to the energy sector alone — was set by China, the only major economy to record economic growth in both 2020 and 2021. Over these two years, Chinese emissions more than offset the decline seen in other countries over the same period, accounting for 33 per cent of total global emissions.

Electricity demand in China grew by 10 per cent in 2021: this was the largest increase ever seen in the country's history, and coal met more than half of that demand, even though Chinese renewables also posted their largest increase on record.

In the United States and Europe, emissions fell

Unlike China, in other advanced economies energy-related CO2 emissions declined: in the United States, there was even a fall of 4 per cent compared to 2019, and in the European Union of 2.4 per cent. In Japan, emissions fell by 3.7 per cent in 2020 but rose by 1 per cent in 2021. On a per capita basis, CO2 emissions from the energy sector in advanced economies dropped to an average of 8.2 tonnes, below China's average of 8.4 tonnes.

In short, the global recovery from the crisis triggered by the pandemic was not as sustainable as had been hoped by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "Now all that remains is to leave 2021 behind and ensure that 2022 becomes the first year of a long declining series" is the IEA's wish. Unfortunately, as the agency's analysis shows, it is not enough to increase the installed capacity of renewables. Coal and gas must be abandoned. And quickly.