Global energy sector emissions increase despite growth in renewables

Renewable power rose by 14% in 2022, slightly below the growth rate of 16% in 2021

According to the latest Statistical Review of World Energy report, energy-based global carbon emissions reached a record high with a 0.8% increase in 2022.

The report reveals that the carbon emissions from energy use rose to 39.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), contributing to 87% of total global emissions last year.

The Energy Institute’s (EI) president, Juliet Davenport OBE HonFEI, said: “We are still heading in the opposite direction to that required by the Paris Agreement.”

While the emissions from energy use, industrial processes, flaring, and methane continued to rise to a new high growing 0.8% in 2022 to 39.3 GtCO2e, with emissions from energy use up by 0.9%, the carbon emissions from energy generation including flaring decreased by 3.8% and emissions from methane and industrial processes decreased by 0.2%.

As last year witnessed a 1% increase in total primary energy consumption, the renewables’ (excluding hydroelectricity) share of primary energy consumption reached 7.5%, an increase of nearly 1% in 2022, while the fossil fuel consumption as a percentage of primary energy remained steady at 82%.

The KPMG’s head of energy and natural resources, Simon Virley CB FEI, said: “Despite record growth in renewables, the share of world energy still coming from fossil fuels remains stubbornly stuck at 82%, which should act as a clarion call for governments to inject more urgency into the energy transition.”

Solar and wind reached a record high of 12% share of power generation with solar recording 25% and wind power 13.5% growth in output.

Renewable power rose by 14% in 2022, slightly below the growth rate of 16% in 2021, and accounted for 84% of net electricity demand growth in 2022.

UK focus

As per the report, renewables accounted for 18% of total primary energy consumption in the UK.

While the UK demonstrated a 3.8% reduction in carbon emissions in the last decade, it showed a reversal in progress with a 0.9% increase in carbon emissions in 2022.

The UK’s renewable energy consumption increased by 10.1% with a 9.2% increase in renewable energy generation in 2022.

Electricity generation from renewables in the UK was 39.7% of total energy consumption in 2022 with a 24% increase in solar energy generation and wind energy generation witnessing a 14.7% increase; however, unresolved bottlenecks causing energy waste remain a source of concern for the sector.

The news comes after a report from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) unveiled that the world is now at risk to lose a decade-long progress on global goals with none of the sustainable development goals on track to be achieved by 2030.