The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report released today (Monday) that global emissions rose at a slower pace in 2025, as the expansion of solar energy use by developing countries helped to reduce the impact of emissions growth in advanced economies, particularly the United States.
The agency said that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 0.4 percent in 2025, slowing from the past few years amid emerging changes in the supply mix as a result of the expansion of solar power generation.
The agency explained that overall global energy demand growth slowed to 1.3 percent, slightly below the average of the past decade, while gas demand growth contracted sharply due to relatively high prices in the first half of the year.
According to the agency, the data showed a reversal of a long-standing trend, with advanced economies recording their first annual increase in emissions since 2018.
The United States led this trend, with greater reliance on coal-fired electricity due to rising gas prices.
The agency stated that US energy demand growth reached its second-highest level since 2000, excluding the recovery years that followed the recession, driven by strong demand for electricity from data centers, industrial growth and lower temperatures.
In China, which the International Energy Agency classifies as a developing economy, emissions have declined as the country leads the expansion of solar power capacity.
