--- title: Carbon Emissions Set for Second-Largest Jump in History in 2021 description: Global CO2 emissions will rise 5% in 2021 as governments pursue COVID-19 recoveries, the International Energy Agency said April 20 canonical: https://time.com/5956410/carbon-emissions-increase-2021/ author: Ciara Nugent article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-04-20T11:47:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:11:22.104Z article:section: Science og:title: Global Carbon Emissions Set for Second-Largest Annual Increase in History in 2021 Despite COVID-19 Restrictions og:description: "This is a dire warning that the economic recovery is currently anything but sustainable for our climate" og:url: https://time.com/5956410/carbon-emissions-increase-2021/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt551f1a1a1c8ffbaf/698a18d2096a94228b6a94b8/coal-plant.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Wind Blowing Pollution og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Global Carbon Emissions Set for Second-Largest Annual Increase in History in 2021 Despite COVID-19 Restrictions twitter:description: "This is a dire warning that the economic recovery is currently anything but sustainable for our climate" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt551f1a1a1c8ffbaf/698a18d2096a94228b6a94b8/coal-plant.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Global Carbon Emissions Set for Second-Largest Annual Increase in History in 2021 Despite COVID-19 Restrictions > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=21609980-314e-4134-9cd4-a881474c542c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Story Behind TIME's 'Climate Is Everything' Cover [Watch (HLS stream): The Story Behind TIME's 'Climate Is Everything' Cover](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hXxmPKGM.m3u8) (6:21)  _Published 2021-04-15. To illustrate the dramatic effects of climate change on our interconnected world for the April 26 issue of TIME, we turned the cover canvas over to “an artist who paints without a paintbrush.” Red Hong Yi._  by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/)  ## Ciara Nugent Apr 20, 2021 11:47 AM UTC  by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/)  ## Ciara Nugent Apr 20, 2021 11:47 AM UTC Global carbon dioxide emissions from energy use are set to rise by 5% in 2021 compared to 2020, the second highest year-on-year increase in history, according to a [report](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021) published April 20 by the International Energy Agency (IEA). In 2020 [carbon emissions](https://time.com/5943530/covid-19-co2-emissions-climate-change/) fell by a record 5.8% as [restrictions placed on daily life](https://time.com/5955250/single-during-covid-19-pandemic/) to slow the spread of COVID-19 drove global demand for energy sharply down. But this year, as governments roll out economic stimulus packages and [vaccine campaigns](https://time.com/5955247/inside-biontech-vaccine-facility/), demand is on track to rise above 2019 levels. The projected single-year increase in emissions is topped only by 2010, the IEA says, when emissions soared as the global economy rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis. _Read more:_ [_The Pandemic Remade Every Corner of Society. Now It’s the Climate’s Turn_](https://time.com/5953374/climate-is-everything/) Though emissions remain 1.2% below their [2019 peak](https://time.com/5782089/iea-emissions-energy-climate-change/), the new figures are worrying for researchers as they suggest governments are pouring resources into fossil fuels in a bid to revive their economies, despite many [world leaders’ promises to deliver a green recovery](https://time.com/5945354/covid-19-recovery-climate-change/) from the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a dire warning that the economic recovery from the Covid crisis is currently anything but sustainable for our climate,” said Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director, [in a statement.](https://www.iea.org/news/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-are-set-for-their-second-biggest-increase-in-history) “Unless governments around the world move rapidly to start cutting emissions, we are likely to face an even worse situation in 2022.” Demand for coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is projected to surge 4.5% this year compared to 2020, with its growth far outpacing renewable**s**, even as clean energies, such [as wind and solar](https://unfccc.int/news/renewables-beating-coal-competitors-on-cost#:~:text=Renewable%20power%20is%20increasingly%20cheaper,Energy%20Agency%20%28IRENA%29%20finds.&text=The%20report%20highlights%20that%20new,undercut%20existing%20coal%2Dfired%20plants.) have become cheaper than coal in many cases. Though coal use is likely to rise slightly in both the E.U. and the U.S., more than 80% of coal’s projected growth is concentrated in Asia. China’s government ramped up plans for [new coal-fired power stations](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-coal-idUSKBN2A308U) during the pandemic, a move climate campaigners say contradicts the country’s pledge to reach [net zero emissions by 2060.](https://time.com/5955187/us-china-climate-change-pollution/) China’s coal-fired power plants account for around one third of global coal consumption. _Read more:_ [_What’s at Stake in U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry’s Trip to China_](https://time.com/5955187/us-china-climate-change-pollution/) U.S. president Joe Biden is due to host a [virtual climate action summit](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/26/president-biden-invites-40-world-leaders-to-leaders-summit-on-climate/) with 40 world leaders on April 22 and 23 in a bid to elicit more ambitious targets for emissions reductions from major emitters ahead of a major U.N. climate conference in November. The U.S. is expected to reveal its own long-awaited target this week, with climate campaigners hoping that Biden will pledge a cut of more than 50% on 2005 levels by 2030\. 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