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The world’s appetite for energy rose faster than usual last year because record high global temperatures meant more power was used for cooling, underscoring the vicious cycle between climate change and energy use.

Half of the increase in global emissions from energy last year was down to 2024 being the hottest year on record, the International Energy Agency said on Monday. Overall greenhouse gas emissions from energy use rose 0.8 per cent last year.

Intense heatwaves in China and India drove up the use of coal to generate the electricity needed to power air conditioners, helping push global energy demand up 2.2 per cent compared with a rate of 1.3 over the previous decade and a 1.8 per cent rise the previous year.

The rollout of electric cars and the expansion of data centres needed for artificial intelligence were also to blame for rising power demands, it said, with server capacity increasing by a fifth — mostly in the US and China.

“What is certain is that electricity use is growing rapidly, pulling overall energy demand along with it to such an extent that it is enough to reverse years of declining energy consumption in advanced economies,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. 

Global electricity consumption rose by nearly 1,100 TWh, more than twice the average annual increase over the past decade.

This meant higher demand for all types of fuel. While oil’s share of global demand fell below 30 per cent for the first time, gas generation picked up, driven by demand from emerging and developing countries. 

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind were being rolled out at a record pace last year. Nuclear power also expanded, with financial institutions, tech companies and governments throwing their weight behind an atomic revival. The two forms of low-carbon energy combined now account for 40 per cent of global generation for the first time.