According to the Statistical Review of World Energy report, global fossil fuel consumption increased by 1.5 percent compared to 2022, and greenhouse gas emissions rose by 2.1 percent last year. This occurred despite renewable energy sources generating more energy than ever before
Meanwhile, renewable energy made up 14.6 percent of total energy used, a 0.4 percent increase from the year before.
Nick Wayth, CEO of the Energy Institute, noted that while rich countries are using less fossil fuels, poorer countries are using more because they\’re getting richer. He said the overall change is slow, but different regions have different stories about their energy use.
The report also said that more than half of all energy is used in the Global South, and their energy use is growing faster than the world average. China uses more coal than anyone else, and India now uses more than Europe and North America combined. Meanwhile, coal use in Europe and North America is the lowest it\’s been since 1965.
In the US, coal use fell by 17% and has halved in the past decade. China and India increased natural gas use by 7%, while Europe\’s energy demand dropped by 7%, keeping global consumption steady. China led in adding new wind and solar power, accounting for 63% globally. The Energy Institute, alongside KPMG and Kearney, has been publishing the annual report since 2023, taking over from BP, which had done so since the 1950s.
