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Weisweiler coal-fired power plant
Photo: Wolfgang Rattay / REUTERS
The international community's efforts to date to combat climate change are not enough: The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that global carbon dioxide emissions are still at record levels.
It therefore calls for an accelerated turnaround in energy production.
The IEA announced on Thursday in Paris that global CO2 emissions caused by energy production rose by 0.9 percent or 321 million tons in 2022, reaching a new high of over 36.8 billion tons.
In order to achieve climate and energy goals, increased measures to switch to clean energies are required.
In 2021, the increase in CO2 emissions worldwide was still six percent.
Record fossil fuel deals
"The impact of the energy crisis has not led to the sharp rise in global emissions initially feared - thanks to outstanding growth in renewable energy, electric vehicles, heat pumps and energy-efficient technologies," said IEA Director Fatih Birol.
Without clean energy, the increase in CO2 emissions would have been almost three times as high.
“However, we still see emissions from fossil fuels increasing, which is hampering efforts to meet global climate targets.”
International and national companies that work with fossil fuels are making record sales and must take their share of the responsibility, in line with their public promises to achieve the climate goals, the IEA boss demanded.
"It's critical that they review their strategies to ensure they are geared towards meaningful emissions reductions." In recent weeks, companies including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell have announced record earnings.
BP had even backtracked on its plans to cut oil and gas production and reduce emissions.
beb/dpa
