The U.S. drove roughly a third of the increase in global carbon emissions from energy in 2025, as higher gas prices prompted power producers to switch back to coal, an annual report by the Energy Institute showed.

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.1% to 35.81 billion tonnes, with more than a third of the increase concentrated in the U.S., as per the report produced in partnership with Ember, Kearney Institute and KPMG. North America's rise reversed a decade-long trend in which regional emissions had fallen by an average of 0.7% per year.

U.S. coal consumption surged 10% last year, halting a shift towards cleaner fuels and underscoring the sensitivity of power-sector emissions to fuel price dynamics. The rebound in coal use was the primary driver behind the country's outsized contribution to global emissions growth.

Europe's energy-sector emissions rose 0.5%, while China posted a 0.7% increase. Global energy supply expanded 1.7% from 2024, with renewables accounting for the largest share of that growth. Renewable power generation climbed 9.1%, led by a 30% surge in solar output, though these gains were insufficient to offset rising fossil fuel demand.

Electricity consumption grew 3% year on year, outpacing supply gains and driven by accelerating demand from electric vehicles, data centers and artificial intelligence. The rapid expansion of power-intensive industries is increasingly shaping global energy consumption patterns and complicating decarbonization efforts.

Global oil consumption rose 1.3% to 103 million barrels per day, up from a 1.1% increase in 2024, while production grew 3.5%. In China, gasoline and diesel use declined for a second consecutive year, extending a trend that reflects the country's rapid adoption of electric vehicles and slowing economic growth.

Gas demand growth was concentrated in Europe, the Middle East and North America, with Europe and India relying on imports for nearly half of their gas supply, highlighting persistent energy security vulnerabilities in key consuming regions.