Global energy-related CO2 emissions were flat for a third straight year in 2016 even as the global economy grew, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), signaling a continuing decoupling of emissions and economic activity. This was the result of growing renewable power generation, switches from coal to natural gas, improvements in energy efficiency and structural changes in the global economy.
Global emissions from the energy sector stood at 32.1 metric gigatons last year, the same as the previous two years, while the global economy grew 3.1 percent. Emissions declined in the U.S. and China, the world's two largest energy users and emitters. The biggest drop came from the U.S., where CO2 emissions fell 3 percent, or 160 million metric tons, while the economy grew 1.6 percent. The decline was driven by a surge in shale gas supplies and more attractive renewable power that displaced coal.
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