Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to rise less than a percent in 2022

Carbon dioxide emissions caused by fossil fuel burning will rise by under 1% in 2022, a fraction of the 2021 results, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) study.

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CO2 emissions are expected to increase by 300 million metric tons in 2022 to a total of 33.8 billion tons. However, it's a noticeable drop from the 2 billion tons added in 2021. The report predicts CO2 emissions from 2022 could have reached 1 billion tons without renewable energy adoption rising.

Here are the largest CO2 emitters in the world: China, United States, European Union, India, Russia, and Japan lead the list - all of those countries account for almost half the global human population. Looking back to 1990, the EU is the sector best at reducing greenhouse gases, dropping 27.3% lower than 1990 metrics.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many countries were left to find something other than Russian natural gas supplies. Although there has been a temporary uptick in coal usage since the war began, it looks like solar and wind are helping also fill the void.

Here is what Fatih Birol, executive director at IEA, had to say:

"This means that CO2 emissions are growing far less quickly this year than some people feared - and that policy actions by governments are driving real structural changes in the energy economy. Those changes are set to accelerate thanks to the major clean energy policy plans that have advanced around the world in recent months."

Solar and wind power generated more than 700 terawatt-hours of energy in 2022. That figure is enough for 67 million American households to have power enough for a year.

Governments are creating policies to motivate companies to improve emissions or entice consumers to try an EV.