The IEA has released a new analysis on energy use in 2024, and it's full of interesting data and insights.
I urge people to check it out.
Here are my top-line reactions to it, below. A thread....
https://www.iea.org/news/growth-in-global-energy-demand-surged-in-2024-to-almost-twice-its-recent-average
I urge people to check it out.
Here are my top-line reactions to it, below. A thread....
https://www.iea.org/news/growth-in-global-energy-demand-surged-in-2024-to-almost-twice-its-recent-average
Comments
Most of this was driven by electricity demand, which rose 4.3% globally.
This was fueled by weather (extreme heat), industrial sector growth, and data centers.
Most of the growth in energy use (mainly driven by electricity demands) was handled by renewables and nuclear.
That means CO2 emissions only rose by 0.8% globally.
In fact, in advanced economics, the emissions have been going down -- quickly!
So there's some good news here.
In over 40 countries (including the US, most of Europe, and now China), emissions are going *down* while economies and populations still grow.
They are now at 50-year lows, while the economic activity of these countries has risen 300% during the same time.
That's incredible!
Overall, the growth of solar, wind, nuclear, EVs, and heat pumps alone since 2019 prevents about 2.6 Gt-CO2 per year of global emissions!
That's roughly the same as half the U.S. economy, to put it in perspective.