Carbon dioxide emissions related to energy production rose by 1.4%to a record high of 31.6 gigatons last year
China was resonsible for the largest emisions growth – but the increase was among the lowest seen in a decade after investment in renewables and energy efficiency.
US emissions dropped 200 million tons, or 3.8%, in part due to a switch in power generation from coal to gas, while Europe’s emissions declined by 50 million tons, or 1.4%, said the International Energy Agency.
The 28-country group says the energy sector accounts for about two-thirds of global emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases
“Climate change has quite frankly slipped to the back burner of policy priorities,” said Maria van der Hoeven, the IEA’s executive director. “But the problem is not going away – quite the opposite.”
The news comes ahead of a meeting of climate change negotiators in Bonn this week to discuss climate targets for adoption in 2015.
Recommended for you
