Page 11 - REM Annual Review 2021

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Europe is leading the way, with Germany at Slow progress
33% and the United Kingdom at 29%. Indeed, Despite the record fall in coal in 2020, the report
the continent is now acting as a model for how warned that power sector emissions were still
wind and solar can be quickly built and inte- around 2% higher in the pandemic year than in
grated into the electricity system. 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed.
The rise of solar helped reduce coal power, Electricity demand rose 11% (+2,536 TWh)
which posted a record fall of 4% (346 TWh). since 2015, but this outpaced the increase in
While welcome, the report warned that this clean electricity generation (+2,107 TWh). As a
was not fast enough to meet Paris Agreement result, gas-fired electricity rose 11% (+562 TWh)
targets. Ember echoed the International Energy and coal generation fell only 0.8% (-71 TWh).
Agency’s (IEA) findings that coal power must
fall by 14% every year to keep the world on track Dave Jones, Ember’s global lead, said: “Pro-
for 2050 net-zero emissions. gress is nowhere near fast enough. Despite
The 314 TWh increase in global wind and coal’s record drop during the pandemic, it still
solar generation was the biggest ever in abso- fell short of what is needed. Coal power needs
lute terms. However, in relative terms the 15% to collapse by 80% by 2030 to avoid dangerous
annual rise was the smallest on record. levels of warming above 1.5 degrees. We need to
Ember said that wind and solar expansion build enough clean electricity to simultaneously
will need to accelerate significantly in order to replace coal and electrify the global economy.
achieve climate targets and to ensure that coal World leaders have yet to wake up to the enor-
continues to fall as electricity demand growth mity of the challenge.”
picks up again.
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