(London) Greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector hit new records last year and the sector is moving in the ‘opposite’ direction of Paris climate accord commitments, warns a study on Monday.
“The global consumption of primary energy (naturally available, without transformation, editor’s note) increased by around 1% in 2022, which represents an increase of almost 3% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019”, notes the ‘Energy Institute, an industry organization, in this study conducted in cooperation with consultancies KPMG and Kearney.
Fossil fuels remain largely dominant, and represent 82% of the total energy consumed, despite the rise in strength of renewables, specifies this annual study.
CO emissions2 from energy use, industrial processes, flaring (the act of burning the gases produced by pumping oil, editor’s note) and methane increased by 0.8% last year and reached “new records”, continues the study.
Renewables benefited in 2022 from the “largest increase in solar and wind power generation capacity”, to jointly achieve “a record 12% share of electricity generation”.
On the transportation side, fuel demand continued to rebound last year compared to its post-COVID-19 level, but with China holding back as the world’s second-largest oil consumer has been plagued by a zero COVID-19 policy. 19 which has largely hindered the movements of its inhabitants.
“In 2022, we have seen some of the worst consequences of climate change, with devastating floods affecting millions in Pakistan, record heat in Europe and North America, and despite this it is hard to find progress in the energy transition”, lamented Juliet Davenport, the president of the EI.
“Despite strong growth in wind and solar electricity generation, greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector have increased again,” she added.
“We are still going against what is required by the Paris agreement” on the climate to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, she insisted, the report calling for “urgent action to correct the shot.