![]() The power sector drove the trend, with a decline of 120 Mt of CO 2, or 12%, resulting from increasing renewables and switching from coal to gas. Overall electricity demand declined because demand for air-conditioning and heating was lower as a result of milder summer and winter weather.Įnergy-related CO 2 emissions in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, dropped by 160 Mt, or 5%, to reach 2.9 Gt. As a result, gas increased its share in electricity generation to a record high of 37%. Coal-fired power plants faced even stronger competition from natural gas-fired generation, with benchmark gas prices an average of 45% lower than 2018 levels. A 15% reduction in the use of coal for power generation underpinned the decline in overall US emissions in 2019. US emissions are now down almost 1 Gt from their peak in the year 2000, the largest absolute decline by any country over that period. The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO 2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis – a fall of 140 Mt, or 2.9%, to 4.8 Gt. Higher nuclear power generation in advanced economies, particularly in Japan and Korea, avoided over 50 Mt of CO 2. Coal-to-gas fuel switching for power generation avoided 100 Mt of CO 2 in advanced economies and was particularly strong in the United States due to record low natural gas prices. Solar PV saw the fastest growth amongst renewable sources, helping to push renewables’ share of total electricity generation close to 28%. Wind accounted for the biggest share of the increase, with output expanding 12% from 2018 levels. The growth of renewables in electricity generation in advanced economies delivered 130 Mt of CO 2 emissions savings in 2019. Generation from coal-fired plants in advanced economies declined by nearly 15% as a result of continued growth of renewables, coal-to-gas fuel switching, a rise in nuclear power and weaker electricity demand. In absolute terms, an average emissions intensity of 340 grams of CO 2 per kilowatt hour in 2019 is lower than all but the most efficient gas-fired power plants. ![]() The average CO 2 emissions intensity of electricity generation declined by nearly 6.5% in 2019, a rate three times faster than the average over the past decade. The power sector led the decline and now accounts for 36% of energy-related emissions across advanced economies, down from a high of 42% in 2012. Economic growth in advanced economies averaged 1.7% in 2019, but total energy-related CO 2 emissions fell by 3.2%.
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