Environment Counts | Global CO2 emissions up by 1.4% in 2012 :

Global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2012 reached 31.6 Gt a new high. Non-OECD countries now account for 60 % of global emissions, up from 45 % in 2000.

In 2012, China made the largest contribution to the increase in global CO2 emissions. In the United States, a switch from coal to gas in power generation helped reduce emissions by 200 Mt. Despite an increase in coal use, emissions in Europe declined by 50 Mt as a result of growth in renewables, a cap on emissions from the industry and power sectors and economic contraction. Emissions in Japan increased by 70 Mt as fossil fuels filled the gap left by a reduction in nuclear power. The IEA suggests that the long-term average temperature increase is likely to be between 3.6 °C and 5.3 °C compared with pre-industrial levels. IEA Redrawing the Climate-energy Map