Global carbon emissions highest on record in 2021
Burning of coal to fuel economic recovery led to 6pc increase in emissions from 2020
Annual global CO₂ emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes reached their highest-ever level in 2021, according to the IEA. A 6pc increase from 2020 pushed emissions to 36.3Gt as economies recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Coal accounted for over 40pc of the overall growth in global CO₂ emissions in 2021. Emissions from the fuel reached an all-time high of 15.3Gt despite agreements to reduce its use. CO₂ emissions from natural gas also rebounded well above 2019 levels, to 7.5Gt, as demand increased in all sectors. The energy demand recovery last year was compounded by adverse weather and energy market conditions, which led to more coal being burned. High demand for gas ra
![](/images/white-fade.png)
Also in this section
21 July 2024
Awards experience 20% increase in nominations this year, with submissions from 27 countries
18 July 2024
Platform developed at Scottish university uses advanced simulations and machine learning to find most cost-effective and sustainable combinations of materials for use in carbon capture
18 July 2024
Stockholm Exergi agrees to one of world’s largest deployments of CO₂ liquefication technology to enable transport of emissions captured from biomass power plant
11 July 2024
Watkins will leverage her financial acumen and strategic insight to lead Gulf’s commercial initiatives across media, events, and market intelligence