Citing a “growing mismatch” between hope and action, BP executives released the company’s annual Statistical Review of World Energy featuring slow progress on climate change and rapid growth in energy demand and emissions of carbon dioxide.
The report also noted that the US recorded the largest-ever annual production increases by any country for oil and natural gas, “the vast majority” coming from onshore shale plays.
Global energy demand grew by 2.9%, and carbon emissions grew by 2% in 2018, “faster than at any time since 2010-11,” BP said in a press release.
“There is a growing mismatch between societal demands for action on climate change and the actual pace of progress,” said Chief Economist Spencer Dale, citing the increases in energy demand and carbon emissions. “The world is on an unsustainable path.”
Natural gas consumption and production increased 5% last year and accounted for 40% of global energy demand growth.
Consumption of renewable energy grew by 14.5%, near the record increase of 2017, but still accounted for only one third of the increase in total power generation.
Global oil consumption grew by 1.5%.
The record production increments in the US were 2.2 million b/d for oil and 86 billion cu m for the year for natural gas.
