Pollution From Power Generators Now Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels
- Burning of more coal threatens global net-zero pledges: Ember
- Wind, solar generation surpasses nuclear for the first time
Residents tend vegetables on a plot of farmland near a coal-fired power station on the outskirts of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The world’s electricity generators are now polluting more than they did before the pandemic, putting global net-zero targets at risk.
Emissions from the power sector rebounded in the first half of the year and are now 5% higher than in the same period in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by London-based researcher Ember. That’s because utilities are using more coal to meet electricity demand that also rose by 5%.