CO2 emissions from a factory in the United States.
-
Branden Camp / AP / SIPA
The coronavirus will only have had a temporary impact on pollution.
After a historic decline last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CO2 emissions from the energy sector have already rebounded sharply, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Tuesday .
"After hitting a low point in April, global emissions rebounded strongly and rose above their 2019 level in December," said the IEA.
They were thus 2% above their December 2019 level last December. This corresponds to additional discharges of 60 million tonnes.
“The rebound in CO2 emissions around the world at the end of last year is a serious warning that we have not done enough to accelerate the transition to clean energy across the world,” the Minister warned. Executive Director of the IEA, Fatih Birol.
Above all, "if the economic rebound expected this year is confirmed - and in the absence of major political change among the largest economies on the planet, then global emissions are likely to increase in 2021".
The fear of resumption of travel
Energy emissions overall fell 5.8% last year, or almost 2 billion tonnes of CO2, the largest drop in human history, according to the latest figures from the 'IEA contained in a special report.
Most of the decline was caused by reduced use of oil for road transport and aviation.
But, "with the resumption of travel and economic activities, oil consumption and its associated emissions are on the rise," the report said.
The overall figure for 2020 also masks a strong disparity between countries: China's emissions increased by 0.8% in 2020 with a rapid recovery in activity, while they fell by 10% in the United States. .
Planet
Sail freighters to breathe new life into sailing freight
Planet
The United States officially back in the Paris Agreement
Video
CO2
Air pollution
Planet
Pollution