Global emissions at a standstill in 2014

The global economy may be on the rise, but carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning fossil fuels like oil and coal aren’t increasing along with it, according to the International Energy Association.

The Paris-based intergovernmental group released preliminary data Friday indicating the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere last year remained at 32.3 billion tons, the same level reported in 2013.

Coupled with the International Monetary Fund’s report that the global economy saw a 3.3 percent increase in growth in 2014, this marks the first time in 40 years an uptick in the world economy didn’t translate to more pollution.

According to CNNMoney, a weak world economy only stalled emissions on three occasions in the same 40-year period. Those followed oil price shocks in the early 1980s, the disbanding of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the U.S. financial crisis in 2009.

The IEA said recent moves by developing countries toward better energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources by China helped to hold back emissions in 2014.  The IEA is due to release a fully detailed version of the report in June.

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