Half of the world is past a peak in fossil power

The EU, Oceania and North America are already well into a period of fossil power decline, with fossil generation dropping by 30%, 20% and 15%, respectively, from their regional peaks. All but one EU member state have passed the milestone of five years since a peak in fossil power this millennium.

At a continent-wide level, fossil power across Africa appears to have plateaued; a similar flattening is true for Latin America and the Caribbean, which has been the case for over a decade. The only regions yet to reach a peak are Asia and the Middle East.

Ember’s analysis also reveals that economies which are at least one year past a peak in fossil power represent 50% of global demand – providing further evidence that we are at a tipping point for fossil power generation. So far this year, power sector emissions are already plateauing, with Ember analysis showing that emissions only increased by 0.2% in the first half of 2023.