Thu Jun 26 12:11:40 UTC 2025: **Headline: Global Carbon Emissions Hit Record High for Fourth Year, Underscoring Urgent Need for Renewable Energy Transition**
**London – June 26, 2025** – A new report from the Energy Institute reveals that global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector reached an all-time high for the fourth consecutive year in 2024. This grim milestone comes as fossil fuel usage continues to rise, despite a record-breaking expansion of renewable energy sources.
The annual statistical review of world energy highlights the significant challenge in transitioning the global economy away from fossil fuels. Geopolitical tensions, including the conflict in Ukraine and instability in West Asia, have further complicated the energy landscape by disrupting traditional oil and gas flows.
The report indicates that 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing pre-industrial global temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius. Total energy supply saw a 2% increase, with all sources, including oil, gas, coal, nuclear, hydro, and renewables, registering growth – a phenomenon last seen in 2006. Consequently, carbon emissions increased by approximately 1%, reaching a record 40.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Natural gas experienced the largest increase in generation among fossil fuels, growing by 2.5%. Coal remained the largest source of generation globally, with a 1.2% increase, while oil growth remained under 1%.
Wind and solar energy expanded rapidly, growing by 16% in 2024, a pace nine times faster than the overall energy demand. However, experts warn that the current pace is insufficient to meet the ambitious goals set at the COP28 conference in Dubai in 2023, where countries pledged to triple global renewables by 2030 and transition away from fossil fuels to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“COP28 set out a bold vision to triple global renewables by 2030, but progress is proving uneven, and despite the rapid growth we have seen globally we are still not at the pace required,” said Wafa Jafri, a partner at KPMG.
The Energy Institute, in collaboration with KPMG and Kearney, took over authorship of the report from BP last year. While record amounts of renewable energy are being added, analysts warn that the world is currently off track to meet the global target of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
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