Use of renewables grew 14% in 2022, but carbon emitted by the energy sector reached a record 39.3-billion tonnes of CO² equivalent in 2022, report saysThe share of renewables in global power generation continued to rise in 2022, driven by record new build of solar and wind, though it failed to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector, which remains reliant predominantly on fossil fuels.
Emissions from energy consumption reached a record high of 39.3-billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, a 0.8% from a year earlier. International coal production increased by 7%, but trade fell almost 4% in 2022, its lowest level since 2017, the report says. SA, which increased its renewable energy consumption by 2.5% in 2022, accounts for about a third of all such consumption on the continent.