World energy emissions will drop by a record 8% this year due to COVID-19

The IEA's Global Energy Outlook was based on an analysis of electricity demand over 100 days,

during which much of the world was locked down to combat the pandemic.

The survey previously predicted that global demand forEnergy consumption will fall by 6% in 2020 - 7 times more than during the 2008 financial crisis and the biggest annual drop since World War II. According to the IEA, this would be equivalent to losing all of India's energy demand, the third largest consumer of electricity in the world.

Advanced economies are expected to see the biggest declines, with demand in the United States down 9% and in the European Union likely down 11%.

“This is a historic shock for the entire energy world. The decline in demand for virtually all major fuels is staggering, especially coal, oil and gas.”

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

With consumption falling, the IEA said it had noticeda "major transition" to low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar, which are expected to account for 40% of global electricity production - 6% more than coal.

The report says coal and natural gas are increasingly caught between low overall electricity demand and increased renewable energy production.

Demand for natural gas will fall by 5% in 2020after a decade of continuous growth. After peaking in 2018, coal-fired power generation will fall by more than 10% this year. Overall, energy-related carbon emissions will fall by almost 8%, reaching their lowest level since 2010.

If it ends, it will be the biggest annual decline on record, more than 6 times larger than the 2009 drop caused by the global financial crisis.

The United Nations states thatCO2 emissions must fall by 7.6% annually until 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious temperature limit in the Paris climate agreement.

Before COVID-19, emissions grew year by year.