The International Energy Agency (IEA) is predicting a major surge in CO2 emissions from energy in 2021, as the world rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Total energy emissions for 2021 will still be slightly lower than in 2019, the agency says. But CO2 will rise by the second-largest annual amount on record.
The use of coal in Asia is expected to be key: the IEA says it will push global demand up by 4.5 per cent, taking it close to the global peak seen in 2014.
However, renewable energy is also booming, with green sources set to supply 30 per cent of electricity in 2021.
The empty roads, high streets, and airports that marked the global response to the Coronavirus pandemic saw the biggest fall in demand for energy since World War II.
That decline saw carbon emissions tumble by around 6 per cent in 2020, as the more carbon-intensive fuels such as coal and oil were hardest hit by restrictions.
Many hoped that these changes in energy use would be sustained in the recovery from the pandemic, but these latest predictions from the IEA indicate that is not likely to be the case.
Energy demand is booming in the developing world, with a rise of 3.4 per cent predicted for this year – this contrasts with richer economies, where overall energy use is expected to still be 3 per cent below 2019.
In the places where energy demand is growing, coal is playing a key role.
Overall global use declined by around 4 per cent in 2020, but is expected to rise by 4.5 per cent this year.
The emissions predictions for 2021 would be even worse, according to the IEA, if demand for oil increased to pre-COVID-19 levels. By the end of 2021, oil use for aviation is still expected to be 20 per cent below 2019 levels.
However, there are some strong positives for renewable energy in the IEA report. Wind, solar and other sustainable forms grew 3 per cent during 2020, and in the power sector they are expected to grow by 8 per cent in 2021.
Overall green energy sources will provide 30 per cent of electricity generation, the highest level since the beginning of the industrial revolution, BBC reported.
