IEA: Carbon emissions from fuel usage hit new global record

International Energy Agency (IEA) says the world's carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel usage have risen to a record level. It warns that despite increased renewable usage climate change will "not go away."

Global carbon dioxide emissions hit a new record in 2012, standing at 31.6 billion tons, the IEA reported Monday.

The agency said the energy sector accounts for about two-thirds of global emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, which scientists say are fueling climate change.

The IEA report, presented in London, singles out China as the biggest polluter. Its emissions in 2012 rose 3.8 percent compared to the previous year.

While the Asian country spewed out 300 million tons last year, the gain was one of its lowest seen in decades, reflecting China's efforts to adopt renewable sources of energy and to improve efficiencies.

The IEA said the United States had reduced its year-on-year emissions by 200 million tons, or 3.8 percent, in part due to a switch in power generation from coal to gas. That switch brought the US back to levels last recorded in the mid-1990s.