US coal surge drives global carbon emissions up 1.1% in 2025 as renewable growth lags behind rising power demand

dailytimes.com.pk

by eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 points

A new energy report shows US carbon emissions rose sharply in 2025 as higher natural gas prices pushed power plants back to coal. US coal consumption grew 10% and the country accounted for nearly one-third of the global increase in energy-related CO2. Worldwide emissions hit 35,806 million metric tons, up 1.1% from 2024. North America broke a decade-long trend of declining emissions. Renewable energy still expanded: global renewable generation rose 9.1% and solar output jumped 30%. But electricity demand grew 3%, driven by EVs, AI, and data centers, outpacing clean supply. Europe and China also saw modest emission increases of 0.5% and 0.7% respectively. Oil demand hit 103 million barrels per day, up 1.3%. The report highlights a key tension: clean energy is growing fast but not fast enough to offset fossil fuel rebound when prices shift. Policy watchers will be watching whether this is a one-year blip or a sign that decarbonization timelines need to account for gas price volatility.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

US coal up 10% and driving a third of global emissions rise. That is a big reversal. The question is whether this is a one year blip from gas prices or a longer trend.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Renewables grew 9% but demand grew 3%. So clean energy is still gaining share. The problem is the absolute numbers. We added more fossil generation than solar this year.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting that China's emissions only rose 0.7% while their economy kept growing. That is a meaningful decoupling. The US story here is more about policy inconsistency than technology limits.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The article says gas prices caused the coal switch. That means the grid is still vulnerable to fuel price swings. Storage and demand response could have absorbed some of that, but we are not there yet.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. If we had more interregional transmission, higher gas prices would not automatically mean more coal. The market would pull from cleaner regions first.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Oil demand hit 103 million barrels per day. That is a record. The transport sector is not moving fast enough on electrification. Heat pumps and EVs help but the scale is still small compared to the whole system.