The International Energy Agency’s recent report highlights that record-high temperatures led to a significant rise in global electricity consumption last year.
Severe heat waves increased people’s desire for cooling solutions across numerous nations, contributing to growing usage driven by industrial needs, the shift towards electric transportation, and the expansion of data centers and artificial intelligence.
These insatiable power demands led to a 2.2 percent increase in energy consumption last year—below the GDP growth rate of 3.2 percent, yet nearly double its recent average of 1.3 percent from 2013 to 2023.
“There are numerous uncertainties in the global landscape today and varying perspectives on energy,” states IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “One thing that is clear is
electricity use
is expanding quickly, dragging overall energy demand with it to a degree that can overturn decades of decreasing energy use in developed countries.”
The outcome shows that in 2024, there was an upsurge in demand for all primary fuels and energy technologies, with renewable sources accounting for the majority of this increase, closely trailed by natural gas. Additionally, the robust development of solar, wind, nuclear power, and electric vehicles is progressively decoupling economic expansion from emission levels.
In what ways does climate change lead to higher emissions?
One worrying pattern highlighted in the IEA’s Global Energy Review 2025 is the feedback loop connecting increasing temperatures with higher emission levels.
Intense heatwaves in China and India — leading to an increase
cooling
requirements – accounted for over 90 percent of the global yearly rise in coal usage.
Temperatures reaching record levels worldwide played a crucial role in boosting global CO2 emissions by an annual 0.8 percent to 37.8 billion tons.
However, the implementation of solar and wind power, along with nuclear technology, and electric vehicles
heat pumps
Since 2019, it has been preventing 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, as stated by the IEA. This amount represents 7 percent of worldwide emissions.
The report also brings positive developments, highlighting that the growing availability of low-emission energy sources met the majority of the rise in global electricity demands in 2024. Worldwide installations of new renewable power capacities surged to approximately 700 gigawatts over the past year.
What does the current energy situation look like in Europe?
Europe’s
renewables revolution
is progressing rapidly. Last year, wind and solar achieved a record-high contribution of 28 percent to overall electricity generation, exceeding the collective share of coal and natural gas for the first time.
Overall, renewable sources made up nearly half of all electricity produced. After experiencing significant drought conditions in 2023, above-normal precipitation levels boosted hydropower output.
But poor
wind conditions
In Europe, this led to an increase in fossil fuel consumption for the power sector.
In general, despite the European Union experiencing an increase in energy demand for the first time since 2017 (excluding the post-COVID surge in 2021), its energy-associated CO2 emissions declined by 2.2 percent.
By curbing the acceleration of global oil demand and increasing the rollout of renewable energy sources,
electric cars
“In line with the swift expansion of electrical usage and the growing dissociation between emissions and economic progress, numerous critical developments highlighted by the IEA beforehand have become distinctly evident in the 2024 data,” notes Dr. Birol.
