Global emissions from energy rose 6% in 2021 to a record 36.3 billion tonnes, IEA analysis showed.

“The recovery of energy demand in 2021 was compounded by adverse weather and energy market conditions – notably the spikes in natural gas prices – which led to more coal being burned despite renewable power generation registering its largest ever growth,” the IEA said in a statement.

China, which the IEA said was the only country to experience economic growth in both 2020 and 2021, was the largest driver of the rise in emissions.

“In 2021 alone, China’s CO2 emissions rose above 11.9 billion tonnes, accounting for 33% of the global total,” the IEA said.

A surge in gas prices in Europe and the US also contributed to the rise in global emissions, making it more profitable for power generators to burn coal which emits double the amount of carbon dioxide as gas-powered power plants.

“Gas-to-coal switching pushed up global CO2 emissions from electricity generation by well over 100 million tonnes, notably in the US and Europe where competition between gas and coal power plants is tightest,” the IEA said.