According to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, global CO2 emissions from energy combustion increased by 0.9% to 38 GtCO2 in 2019, driven by China (+3.4%, accounting for 30% of global emissions) and India (+1.6%, 7% of global emissions). Meanwhile, Japan (3% of global emissions) reduced its energy-related CO2 emissions by 2.1%, the United States (13% of total emissions) by 2.6% and Russia (5% of total emissions) by 0.8%.
Fossil CO2 emissions of the European Union and the UK (9% of global emissions) fell by 3.8% to 3.3 GtCO2 in 2019, which is 25% below the level in 1990. Emissions from the power industry sector in the EU and the UK are now 39% lower than in 1990. In 2019, fossil CO2 emissions fell by 6.5% in Germany, 6.8% in Portugal and 8.4% in Denmark, as their power mix continued to move from coal and liquid fossil fuels to less carbon-intensive energy sources. The European Union aims to become the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050, according to its European Green Deal (December 2019). A new 2030 climate target will be proposed in September 2020.