Growth in CO₂ emissions (+1.9%) builds on past growth

After three years of emissions stagnation up to 2016, linked to weak economic growth, reductions in energy intensity and changes in the fuel mix, energy-related CO₂ emissions grew by 2.1% in 2017 and by 1.9% in 2018. Almost all countries are contributing to the rise except Europe and Latin America, with rising emissions in China (+ 3.1%) despite its coal-to-gas switching policy, in India (+4.2%) and in Russia (+3.9%).
CO₂ emissions grew by 3.1% in the United States driven by higher energy consumption partially driven by weather conditions
CO₂ emissions contracted in the European Union (-2.1%) due to decreasing energy demand (such as in Germany), higher contribution of renewables for electricity generation and weather conditions (mild weather).
In Japan CO₂ emissions continued to decline for the five consecutive year thanks to the increasing contribution of solar since 2016 and higher nuclear generation in 2018.