WEMO 2025 (complet) - Flipbook - Page 6
W E M O 202 5
O U T LO O K
GHG emissions reached a record level in 20249:
FIGURE 2
Energy Intensity - 20248
Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2024 reached a
record high of approximately 53.8 billion metric tons of CO2
equivalent (GtCO2e10), a 1.5% increase from in 2023. Fossil CO2
emissions, the primary driver, rose by 0.8% to 37.4 Gt CO2. Landuse change emissions, including deforestation and wild昀椀res,
surged by 11.9% to 4.2 Gt CO2, largely due to extreme wild昀椀re
activity in South America during the 2023-2024 El Niño event.
This trend continued in 2024, with global energy demand rising
by 2.2% compared to a GDP growth of 3.2%, suggesting that
economic growth is less energy-intensive than in prior decades.
Graph - Source: Enerdata World Energy & Climate Statistics – Yearbook 20258
5https://ourworldindata.org/energy-gdp-decoupling
6https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption
7https://www.statista.com/statistics/273951/growth-of-the-global-gross-domestic-product-gdp/
8World Energy & Climate Statistics – Yearbook 2025
9https://globalcarbonbudget.org/fossil-fuel-CO2-emissions-increase-again-in-2024/
10CO2 equivalent (CO2e) is a unit of measurement that is used to standardise the climate effects of
various greenhouse gases In this outlook we will use indifferently CO2 and CO2e
Below 0.07
0.07 - 0.1
0.1- 0.13
0.13 - 0.16
Above 0.16
Curbing methane emissions is essential to reaching climate
goals as methane is a very potent GHG11. The energy sector
contributes around 37% of the global methane emissions from
human activities. In 2024 they reached 145 Mt a slight increase
from 2023) driven notably by oil and gas leaks and 昀氀aring12.
WEMO 2025
In China and India, the correlation remains stronger (e.g.,
China’s energy demand grew 3–6% annually, closely tracking
its 4–6% GDP growth), driven by industrial and infrastructure
expansion. In contrast, advanced economies, such as the EU
and U.S., showed weaker correlations due to energy e昀케ciency
and service-sector dominance (e.g. advanced economies saw
in 2024 a 1% rise in energy demand but a 1.7% GDP growth.)
This GHG emissions increase shows insu昀케cient progress toward
the Paris Agreement goals, with emissions still far from the 42%
reduction needed by 2030 for a 1.5°C pathway.
11Methane (CH4) is more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat in the
atmosphere
12Source: IEA, Methane Abatement13
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• Weaker correlation between energy and Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) evolutions5,6 Historically, GDP
growth and energy demand have been closely linked, with
economic expansion driving higher energy consumption.
However, from 2014 to 2023, a relative decoupling has
been observed globally, where GDP growth has outpaced
energy demand growth due to improvements in energy
efficiency and shifts to service-based economies.7
