A new study released by https://www.iea.org/ claims Global CO2 emissions from coal use have declined from last year with the United States leading the globe in energy-related CO2 emissions.
"The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis – a fall of 140 Mt, or 2.9%, to 4.8 Gt. 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. A 15% reduction in the use of coal for power generation underpinned the decline in overall US emissions in 2019. 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. As a result, gas increased its share in electricity generation to a record high of 37%. Overall electricity demand declined because demand for air-conditioning and heating was lower as a result of milder summer and winter weather."
"Energy-related CO2 emissions in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, dropped by 160 Mt, or 5%, to reach 2.9 Gt. The power sector drove the trend, with a decline of 120 Mt of CO2, or 12%, resulting from increasing renewables and switching from coal to gas. Output from the European Union’s coal-fired power plants dropped by more than 25% in 2019, while gas-fired generation increased by close to 15% to overtake coal for the first time."
How they did it:
This release is based on data for 2019 from numerous sources available as of 10 February 2020. These include the latest monthly IEA country data submissions through end-November and end-December when available; other statistical releases from national administrations around the world; and recent market data from upcoming IEA Market Report publications that cover coal, oil, natural gas, renewables and electricity.
