Stephen Maturen, Getty Images Vehicles drive on highway I-94 in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 7, 2020. A recent report from the International Energy Agency said emissions fell across most parts of the economy, with one notable exception: SUVs. Jan 20, 2021 Camila Domonoske Last year, as pandemic lockdowns put travel on hold, wealthy countries reduced their environmentally-harmful emissions in almost every sector of their economies. There was one exception ... one big, road-hogging, gas-guzzling exception. According to a recent report from International Energy Agency, carbon emissions from SUVs increased by 0.5% in 2020, even though the world's energy-related emissions overall fell by 7%. SUVs are less fuel efficient than smaller, lighter and more aerodynamic cars. They're also highly profitable for automakers and highly popular with consumers. The combined force of buyer preference and manufacturer incentives has led to a huge boom in the bigger vehicles — and sales stayed surprisingly strong in 2020.