Global CO2 emissions unchanged year-on-year, coal-to-gas switching made a major contribution in the EU

Emissions in the European Union fell by 160 million tonnes year-on-year in 2019, or 5%, mainly in the energy sector. One reason for the decline in the EU was that more electricity was generated from natural gas than from coal. Global CO2 emissions from the energy sector remained unchanged year-on-year.

Publicly available data published by the International Energy Agency earlier this week show that global energy-sector emissions in 2019 were virtually unchanged compared with 2018. Although the global economy grew by an average of 2.9%, emissions remained at 33 billion tonnes of CO2.

The data published by the IEA clearly illustrate the differing emissions trends in advanced economies and developing countries. While emissions declined in the European Union, the United States and Japan, they increased in developing countries.

“We now need to work hard to make sure 2019 is remembered as the year when global emissions peaked, not merely as a pause in growth,” said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA.

The United States achieved the largest reduction in CO2 emissions (by approximately 140 million tonnes of CO2), bringing its emissions down by one billion tonnes from the peak reached in 2000.

The energy sector was the main driver behind the significant 5% decline in CO2 emissions in the European Union. Favourable conditions in commodity markets resulted in a higher share of electricity generation from natural gas than from coal-fired power plants. The impact of this shift on emissions is significant, as electricity generation from natural gas produces approximately half the emissions of coal-fired generation.

“In the energy sector, we have the technologies needed to achieve our goals, and we must use all of them,” adds Fatih Birol.

More generally, the same trend was seen in other advanced economies last year. According to IEA data, CO2 emissions from the energy sector fell to 1980 levels, when consumption was up to a third lower than it is today.