The rising global electricity demand in the first half of 2021 outpaced growth in clean electricity, which led to an increase in emissions-intensive coal power, energy think tank Ember said on Wednesday.
As a result, the global power sector emissions increased beyond pre-pandemic levels.
For India, the story was a little better as almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of increase in demand was met by growth in solar (plus 47 per cent) and wind (plus nine per cent).
However, the coal generation increased by four per cent, to fill the remaining gap in demand and also to fill reduced hydroelectricity generation. Continued impact of the pandemic in 2021 (H1-2021) kept electricity demand in India muted and coal rises minimal. Electricity demand in H1-2021 was only three per cent higher than H1-2019 levels.
“Catapulting emissions in 2021 should send alarm bells across the world,” said Ember’s global lead Dave Jones.
“We are not building back better, we are building back badly. A lightning-fast electricity transition this decade is critical to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees. The electricity transition is happening but not with the urgency required: emissions are going in the wrong direction.”
The mid-year update to the Global Electricity Review published by Ember analyses electricity data from 63 countries, representing 87 per cent of the electricity demand.
It compares the first six months of 2021 (H1-2021) to the same period in 2019 (H1-2019), to show for the first time how the electricity transition has changed as the world rebounds from the impact of the pandemic in 2020.
The report reveals that global power sector emissions rebounded in the first half of 2021, increasing from the lows seen in H1-2020, so that emissions are now five per cent above pre-pandemic levels of H1-2019.
