Global coal consumption is expected to exceed 8 billion tons for the first time.
Global coal consumption will rise to a record high this year, despite ambitious global targets aimed at weaning nations from burning the dirty fossil fuel.
Coal use looks set to rise 1.2 percent in 2022, surpassing 8 billion tons in a single year for the first time, according to an International Energy Agency report released Friday. He also said that consumption is likely to remain at this level until 2025 as the decline in advanced economies is offset by demand from emerging Asian markets such as China and India.
Europe’s heavy reliance on coal this year is largely driven by Russia’s cutbacks in gas supplies to the continent, forcing it to turn to other energy sources. It comes at a time when European leaders are also trying to shift to renewables to ensure a clean energy source in the future.
The analysis “underlines the urgent need to massively increase renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to lower people’s bills, secure our energy supply and keep essential climate goals intact,” said Alexandru Musta? A, activist for Europe Beyond Coal. “Significantly, no European country has revised its plans to completely phase out coal by 2030, and Europe is still on track to be coal-free by the end of the decade.”
