Carbon emissions set to surge in 2021 as coal rebound eclipses record renewables growth

Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could surge by 1.5-billion tonnes in 2021 to 33-billion tonnes, reversing most of last year’s decline caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as rebounding coal demand in the electricity sector more than offsets record renewables deployments. This forecast is made in a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report, which states that the expected 5% increase in CO2 emissions will represent the biggest yearly increase since 2010 and the second largest in history.