Throughout history, many major world events have been causing significant drops in global energy demand. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected to fall by 6 percent. This fall has been, by far, the biggest shock to the global energy system in seven decades.
Global CO2 emissions are set to fall nearly 8% this year to their lowest level since 2010, the largest drop in history.
But this fall, on the back of premature deaths & economic trauma, is nothing to cheer. The 🌍 needs structural emissions reductions driven by better policies. pic.twitter.com/kk9UONUGkN
— Fatih Birol (@IEABirol) April 30, 2020
The projections of International Energy Agency (IEA) show that the demand for coal could fall by an extraordinary 8 percent this year. Consequently, the emission of greenhouse gases that lead to climate change will also decrease by almost 8 percent. This would be the largest annual decrease ever recorded.
The IEA warns that emissions might rebound once the economy recovers, unless countries focus on promoting clean energy. “The [Earth] needs structural emissions reductions driven by better policies,” tweeted Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director.
