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These International Energy Agency findings fail in efforts to reduce global warming pollution just three years after the landmark agreement signed in Paris, where all nations committed to reducing their emissions .
The numbers have shown that natural gas is becoming a fuel of choice for factories and utilities, while the rate of installation of renewable forms of energy is lagging behind. The report also noted the strength of global economic expansion last year, with electricity consumption gains, particularly in the United States.
"We have seen dramatic growth in the US economy," said Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based institution that advises countries on energy policy. "We have seen several new petrochemical projects come online."
Energy demand rose 2.3% last year, the strongest in a decade, according to the IEA. It showed a record 33 gigatonnes of carbon emissions of energy origin, up 1.7% from the previous year. Global demand for electricity grew by 4% and was responsible for half of the growth in global energy demand. World demand for coal has increased for the second year in a row in 2018, under the effect of Asia's appetite for the dirtiest fossil fuels. Although the share of coal in the global energy mix has decreased, it remains the largest source of electricity in the world. The use of natural gas rose 4.6%, its fastest growth since 2010.
The United States has increased its use of petroleum products at a faster rate than any other country for the first time in 20 years, surpassing China. The United States has increased its oil consumption by 540,000 barrels a day, a fifth more than China, while the Asian country has a population four times larger and evolves to a less intensive model of oil in order to improve the quality of its urban air.
The pace of improvements in energy efficiency has decreased and the growth of renewables has not kept pace with rising demand for electricity, falling below 50% of the new supply of electricity. Electricity last year.
Global production of greenhouse gases from energy-related sources reached a record, as energy demand grew at its fastest pace of the decade.
"The growth of renewable energy does not keep pace with the electrification of our society," Birol said during a call to reporters. "We need more support for renewable energies."
VIDEO: US carbon emissions increase again
Global energy-related emissions in 2018 reached an all-time high of 33 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a growth rate of 1.7 percent, the fastest growth since 2013. Coal-fired power plants, which close their doors all over Western Europe, have the largest contributor to emissions growth, accounting for 30% of the increase, said the IEA.
Emissions continue to increase in China and India. The United States experienced an increase in emissions after it dropped in 2017. Germany, Japan, Mexico, France and the United Kingdom all experienced a decline in their production.
The world must reduce the use of coal-fired electricity to almost nothing by 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C, said a group of United Nations scientists in a statement. report last year.
This article was written by Mathew Carr and Jeremy Hodges, Washington Post reporters.
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