Uptick in CO2 after years of improvement

After posting near-zero growth for three years from 2013 to 2016, global energy sector CO2 emissions increased by 1.6% — mainly driven by major emerging markets China, India, Turkey, Iran and Indonesia.

Something is going very wrong in the EU

The European Union has long fancied itself the world leader in tackling climate change, with aggressive policies on renewables, energy efficiency, and emissions cuts.

But 2017 was another poor year for the continent’s climate efforts, registering the 4th highest increase in real-terms carbon emissions in the world. The EU has now seen its energy-related emissions increase three years in a row, despite major reductions in the UK.

Though the jump in emissions is partially cyclical, compared to the rapid reductions needed to limit climate change, three years of increasing emissions is alarming.

Spain and Italy have seen their renewable energy uptake grind to a halt after wind and solar booms early this decade. Now that their economies are recovering, the lack of progress on renewable energy is seeing CO2 emissions surge.

France, in contrast, did increase renewable energy output, but not enough to offset a fall in generation from the ageing nuclear fleet in recent years, leading to an increase in gas demand.

Meanwhile Germany, which is set to miss its end-of-decade climate targets, managed to keep its CO2 emissions level in 2017, but saw emissions rise in two previous years as natural gas demand increased both on the power sector and other sectors. Coal demand in the country has fallen every year since 2013, but not enough to offset increases in gas and oil use.