New Delhi: A major rebound in global carbon dioxide emissions is likely this year as economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic, says the International Energy Agency, as world leaders on Thursday unveiled their plans to save the planet.
The IEA in a report says emissions in 2021 are projected to grow by 4.8 per cent.
This would be the second-highest annual increase after 2010 when the world was recovering from the global financial crisis.
It attributes a large part of this year’s expected to rise to higher coal-fired generation mainly in Asia, including China and India.
“Demand for all fossil fuels is set to grow significantly in 2021. Coal demand alone is projected to increase by 60 per cent more than all renewables combined, underpinning a rise in emissions of almost 5 per cent, or 1500 Mt. This expected increase would reverse 80 per cent of the drop in 2020, with emissions ending up just 1.2 per cent (or 400 Mt) below 2019 emissions,” says IEA.
Global carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 fell by 5.8 per cent from a year earlier, the largest-ever decline, due to an economic slowdown amid the pandemic.
“This is a dire warning that the economic recovery from the Covid crisis is currently anything but sustainable for our climate,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
He urged governments around the world to move rapidly to start cutting emissions.
