Coal-fired power plant in Germany: fossil fuels made up 81.5 per cent of the world’s primary energy last year. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThe world’s consumption of fossil fuels climbed to a record high last year, driving emissions to more than 40 gigatonnes of CO2 for the first time, according to a global energy report.
On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Dr Anthony Fauci: It sets the enormity of the pandemic against the gravity of previous crises Overall, fossil fuels made up 81.5 per cent of the world’s primary energy last year, down marginally from 82 per cent the year before, said the report, even as wind and solar farms generated record amounts of clean electricity.
The review found that the world’s appetite for gas remained steady in 2024 while consumption of coal climbed by 1.6 per cent and oil demand rose by 2 per cent to reach 100m barrels a day for the first time. “In advanced economies, we observe signs of demand for fossil fuels peaking, contrasting with economies in the global south for whom economic development and improvements in quality of life continue to drive fossil growth,” said Wayth.