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Almost all of the rise in global electricity demand was met by low-emissions energy sources Global appetite for energy rose at a faster-than-average pace in 2024, creating higher demand for all energy sources. This stellar growth was led by the power sector, with the demand for electricity rising almost twice as fast as wider energy demand because of: Higher demand for cooling, Rising consumption by industry, The electrificaiton of transport, and The growth of data centres and artificial intelligence demands. Almost all of the rise in electricity demand was met by low-emissions energy sources. This was led by a record-breaking expansion of solar PV capacity and further growth in nuclear power and other renewables. Gas demand also picked up substantially while oil and coal consumption increased more slowly than in 2023. Growth in energy-related CO2 emissions continues to decouple from global economic growth. Emissions growth slowed to 0.8% in 2024, while the global economy expanded by more than 3%. Where do carbon emissions fit into global energy demand? The International Energy Agency (IEA) released these key findings as part of their latest report, the Global Energy Review 2025, a look at 2024 trends across the entire energy sector. The report covers data for all fuels and technologies, all regions and major countries and energy-related CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions from the energy sector continued to rise in 2024, but at a slower rate than it did in 2023. The IEA says a key driver of this increase was record-high temperatures. If 2023 global weather patterns had repeated in 2024, about half of the increase in global emissions would have been avoided. The continued rapid adoption of clean energy technologies is limiting emissions growth. This new analysis shows 2.6 billion tonnes of additional CO2 emissions a year, were avoided. |
