Global analysis

This report by Ember analyzes global power sector emissions and electricity generation for the first half of 2023, noting that emissions plateaued due to a historic decline in hydropower output that offset gains from wind and solar growth.

• Global power sector emissions remained nearly flat in the first half of 2023, with a slight increase of 0.2% (+12 mtCO2) to a total of 5,795 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (mtCO2). This plateau is historically unusual, as emissions typically only fall during major economic shocks.
• A historic 8.5% decline in global hydro generation (-177 TWh) occurred in the first half of 2023, driven by droughts likely exacerbated by climate change. China accounted for three-quarters of this decline (-129 TWh). This deficit prevented a global fall in power sector emissions; without it, emissions would have fallen by 2.9% (-119 million tonnes of CO2).
• Wind and solar increased their combined share of global electricity to 14.3% (1,930 TWh) in the first half of 2023, up from 12.8% in the same period the previous year. However, growth rates for both (wind +10%, solar +16%) were lower than in the previous year and remain below the IEA's net zero scenario requirements of 17% for wind and 24% for solar.
• China continues to lead in renewable expansion, accounting for 91% of global wind power growth and 43% of global solar generation growth in the first half of 2023. The EU and India each contributed 12% of global solar growth.
• Global electricity demand grew by only 0.4% (+59 TWh) in the first half of 2023, significantly lower than the 2.8% growth in the same period last year. Demand fell in several mature economies: Japan (-5.6%), the EU (-4.6%), the US (-3.4%), and South Korea (-1.4%).

APA

Ember (2023). Global analysis. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis-myger23/

Chicago

Ember. Global analysis. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis-myger23/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Global analysis |date=5 October 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis-myger23/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023global, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Global analysis}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis-myger23/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }