Global analysis

Global power sector emissions plateaued in the first half of 2023 at 5,795 million tonnes of CO2, a slight increase of 0.2% over the previous year. While emissions fell significantly in high-income economies like the EU (-17%) and US (-8.6%), they rose in China (+7.9%) and India (+3.7%). A historic 8.5% decline in global hydro generation, largely driven by droughts in China, prevented a larger drop in emissions by forcing a reliance on fossil fuels. Wind and solar increased their global electricity share to 14.3%, though their growth rates (10% for wind and 16% for solar) remained below the IEA's net zero scenario requirements. Global electricity demand grew by only 0.4%, hampered by demand falls in the EU, Japan, the US, and South Korea.

• Global power sector emissions remained nearly flat in the first half of 2023, totaling 5,795 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (mtCO2), which represents a 0.2% increase (+12 mtCO2) compared to the same period in 2022.
• A historic 8.5% decline in global hydro generation (-177 TWh) occurred in the first half of 2023, primarily due to droughts in China (-129 TWh) likely exacerbated by climate change. This decline prevented a potential 2.9% fall in power sector emissions, as fossil fuels were used to compensate for the hydro deficit.
• Wind and solar power 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 last year. However, their growth rates of 10% for wind and 16% for solar are below the IEA's net zero scenario requirements of 17% and 24% respectively.
• 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 previous year. This was driven by demand decreases in 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} }