13 March 2015: According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remained at 2013 levels in 2014, while the global economy grew by 3%. The agency attributes the decoupling of emissions from economic growth to climate change mitigation efforts in China and countries of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Preliminary IEA data for 2014 indicate that global energy-related CO2 emissions totaled 32.3 billion tonnes, equal to total global emissions in 2013. According to IEA records, dating back to the mid-1970s, global emissions have previously stalled or fallen compared to the previous year in the early 1980s, in 1992 and in 2009. However, 2014 was the only year when a halt in global CO2 emissions growth was not associated with an economic downturn.

According to the agency, the stabilization of CO2 emissions was driven by increased renewable energy generation in China, and enhanced energy efficiency and renewable energy generation in the OECD countries. It noted the data suggest that “efforts to mitigate climate change may be having a more pronounced effect on emissions than had previously been thought.”

IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol welcomed the news on the decoupling of emissions from the economy as a much-needed push for the negotiations for a global climate change agreement in Paris, France, in December 2015. Describing the data as encouraging, IEA Executive Director Maria van de Hoeven cautioned that the positive news should not be used “as an excuse to stall further action.”

The data will be officially released as part of an IEA special report on energy and climate change on 15 June, in London, UK. The report will include recommendations for policy makers on climate change policy measures in a time of low global oil prices. [IEA Press Release] [IISD RS Stories on the IEA]