A report has criticized the United States for leading global carbon dioxide emissions growth in 2025, saying the country accounted for around 30% of the global increase in emissions.
The rise in emissions came as a result of a boost in coal power generation in the United States, the report, produced by the Energy Institute, net-zero outlet Ember, the Kearney Institute, and KPMG, said, as quoted by Reuters.
U.S. coal power generation jumped by 10% last year, which, according to the report’s authors, prompted global emissions growth from the energy sector of 1.1% on the year, after a decade of annual declines, at an average rate of 0.7%.
Global electricity demand, according to the report, rose faster than supply last year, at 3%. The drivers behind this rise were unsurprising, including electric vehicles, data centers, and artificial intelligence, Reuters noted.
Coal has been in decline as part of the U.S. power generation mix, with cheap and abundant natural gas replacing a lot of capacity. However, President Trump has named the energy industry critical for national security, reversing the Biden administration’s efforts to phase out coal completely.
Earlier this year, the Energy Information Administration said power plants scheduled for a shutdown this year may be kept operating for longer, after the Department of Energy warned in a January report that if the scheduled shutdowns take place, the U.S. will face a 100 times higher risk of power shortages by 2030 than if it keeps the existing facilities operating.
The Energy Institute report also found that global oil consumption last year went up by 1.3%, hitting 103 million barrels per day, and oil production added 3.5%, despite efforts to shift away from hydrocarbons in general and towards greater reliance on alternative sources of energy, with a focus on electrification.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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