Record temperatures and extreme heat are no longer an exception - in the Mediterranean region, Southeast Asia, the American continent and Australia. A direct consequence: Air conditioning systems in households and production facilities consume more electricity than ever before. This calls for a clear response from energy policy.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has confirmed: Global electricity consumption increased by 4.3 percent in 2024 - significantly more than the previous year’s 2.5 percent and the strongest growth in the past decade.1 For 2025, the IEA forecasts further growth of 3.3 percent, driven by electrification, climate control and the rapid expansion of AI data centres.2
Coal power provides cooling - CO₂ emissions continue to rise
The booming electricity market has a downside: Too often, energy is still generated in coal-fired power plants - including for air conditioning systems. This is particularly pronounced in the most populous growth markets: China’s electricity consumption increased by 7 percent in 2024, India’s by 5.8 percent.1 Global CO₂ emissions reached a new record level of 37.8 billion tonnes in 2024 - even though growth was lower than that of the economy.1
Demand for electricity remains strong. In addition to air conditioning systems, electric mobility, heat pumps and artificial intelligence are the central drivers - a development that makes the expansion of renewable energies more urgent than ever.
