The share of renewable energy in global energy consumption reaches almost 15 percent, an all-time high.
Global fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels last year, even as renewables generated more power than ever, according to an industry report.
Fossil fuel consumption increased by 1.5 percent compared to 2022, while emissions increased by 2.1 percent, the World Energy Statistical Report showed on Thursday.
At the same time, the share of renewable energy in energy consumption reached 14.6 percent, up 0.4 percent from the previous year.
Nick Wayth, chief executive of the Energy Institute, said that while demand for fossil fuels is peaking in advanced economies, economic development and improvements in quality of life in emerging economies continue to drive growth. fossils.
“Transition progress is slow, but the big picture masks diverse energy stories playing out in different geographies,” Wayth said in the report's foreword.
The Global South accounted for 56 percent of total energy consumption, and its use grew at twice the pace of the global average, according to the report.
China was by far the largest consumer of coal – accounting for 56 percent of total global consumption – while India's consumption surpassed that of Europe and North America combined for the first time in history, the report said.
By contrast, coal consumption in Europe and North America fell to its lowest levels since 1965, the report said.
In the United States, coal consumption fell 17 percent and has been cut in half over the past decade.
China and India also saw large increases in natural gas use, with consumption increasing 7 percent, according to the report.
Demand in Europe fell 7 percent, keeping global consumption relatively stable.
China also drove the adoption of renewable energy, accounting for 63 percent of new global wind and solar capacity.
The Energy Institute, which represents the global energy sector, publishes the annual report in collaboration with consulting firms KPMG and Kearney since 2023.
The institute took over publishing the report from BP, which had authored it since the 1950s.
