Global CO2 Emissions Already Higher Than Pre-Pandemic Levels

A new report from the International Energy Agency says global CO2 emissions were up 2% in Dec. 2020 compared to Dec. 2019. The pandemic caused the biggest slump in carbon dioxide output since World War II. Global emissions fell by 5.9% during COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project. Many had hoped that emissions wouldn’t return to the highs of 2019 again, but the latest information suggests they could. If in the next few months governments do not put the right clean energy policies in place, we may well be returning to our carbon-intensive business as usual, Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director Of The IEA. China, with an increase of 0.6%, was the only major country to see its emissions grow as a whole in 2020.