Global carbon dioxide emissions are set for their second biggest increase in history as economies recover from the Covid pandemic, according to the Global Energy Review from the International Energy Agency.
The IEA predicts that CO2 emissions will rise by 1.5 billion tonnes in 2021, reversing most of the decline seen last year. The increase will be driven by a strong rebound in demand for coal for electricity generation and will bring global carbon emissions up to 33 billion tonnes - a 5% increase on last year Around 80% of the increase in coal burning is predicted to be in Asia, led principally by China North America and Europe will also see an increase in demand for coal, although it is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels.