There are policy choices for countries globally to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change without affecting their economic growth, said a senior official with the International Energy Agency.

"The world is still moving in the wrong direction," said Fatih Birol, chief economist of the agency in Beijing on Tuesday.

According to the World Energy Outlook 2013 report released by the agency, global carbon emissions grew by 1.4 percent in 2012 despite positive developments in some countries including China and the United States.