Global CO2 emissions plateaued last year: Report

PARIS — A new report by the International Energy Agency has found that global carbon emissions flattened in 2019, following two years of increased emissions. The U.S. also decreased its carbon emissions by 2.9 percent last year.

This is because advanced economies, such as Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, increased their use of renewable resources such as wind and solar power, according to the report.

The report also found that a rise in nuclear power and a weaker demand for electricity resulted in lower carbon emissions.

In comparison, usage of coal-fired plants in advanced economies last year had declined by nearly 15 percent.

The report also found that carbon emissions rose sharply in southeast Asia due to an increased demand of coal. China and India were found to have moderate emissions growth in 2019 due to slower economic growth and an increase in usage of renewable energy.

In a statement, Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency executive director, said that the halt in carbon emission growth provides optimism that climate change can be tackled this decade.

A separate report from the United Nations stated that global emissions would have to be reduced by 7.6 percent every year until 2030 to prevent temperatures from rising to dangerously high levels which would "increase the frequency and intensity" of climate change.