US drove over a third of global CO2 emissions rise in 2025 as coal use surged 10 percent

A new report from the Energy Institute shows the United States accounted for more than a third of the global increase in energy-related carbon emissions in 2025. Higher natural gas prices pushed US power producers back to coal, with coal consumption rising 10 percent year over year. Global energy sector emissions reached 35,806 million metric tons of CO2, up 1.1 percent from 2024. Renewable energy grew 9.1 percent globally, led by a 30 percent jump in solar output. However, electricity demand rose 3 percent, driven by electric vehicles, data centers, and AI. This demand growth outpaced clean energy additions, keeping fossil fuels in the mix. Europe and China saw smaller emissions increases of 0.5 and 0.7 percent respectively. The report highlights a key tension: record renewable buildout is not yet enough to offset demand growth and fuel price volatility. The US reversal of a decade-long emissions decline underscores how gas prices can derail progress. Policymakers need to consider how to lock in coal-to-gas switching and accelerate storage and grid upgrades to handle rising electricity loads.