Coal energy plant. INQUIRER STOCK PHOTO
Paris, France — World coal use is about to achieve an all-time excessive in 2024, the Worldwide Vitality Company mentioned Wednesday, in a 12 months all however sure to be the most well liked in recorded historical past.
Regardless of calls to halt humanity’s burning of the filthiest fossil gasoline driving local weather change, the vitality watchdog expects international demand for coal to hit report highs for the third 12 months in a row.
Scientists have warned that planet-warming greenhouse gases must be drastically slashed to restrict international heating to keep away from catastrophic impacts on the Earth and humanity.
READ: Philippines’ dependency on coal not low cost—energy exec
Earlier in December, the European Union’s local weather monitor Copernicus mentioned 2024 was “successfully sure” to be the most well liked on report — eclipsing the report set simply final 12 months.
Article continues after this commercial
Revealed on Wednesday, the IEA’s “Coal 2024” report does nonetheless predict the world will hit peak coal in 2027 after topping 8.77 billion tonnes this 12 months.
Article continues after this commercial
However that might be depending on China, which for the previous quarter-century has consumed 30 % extra coal than the remainder of the world’s nations mixed, the IEA mentioned.
China’s waxing demand for electrical energy was essentially the most important driving drive behind the rise, with greater than a 3rd of coal burnt worldwide carbonised within the nation’s energy vegetation.
Report Chinese language demand
Although Beijing has sought to diversify its electrical energy sources, together with a large growth of photo voltaic and wind energy, the IEA mentioned Chinese language coal demand in 2024 will nonetheless hit 4.9 billion tonnes — itself one other report.
Growing coal demand in China, in addition to in rising economies comparable to India and Indonesia, made up for a continued decline in superior economies.
Nonetheless that decline has slowed within the European Union and america. Coal use there may be set to say no by 12 and 5 % respectively, in contrast with 23 and 17 % in 2023.
With the approaching return to the White Home of Donald Trump — who has repeatedly known as local weather change a “hoax” — many scientists worry {that a} second Trump presidency would water down the local weather commitments of the world’s largest financial system.
Coal mining additionally hit unprecedented ranges by topping 9 billion tonnes in output for the primary time, the IEA mentioned, with prime producers China, India and Indonesia all posting new manufacturing data.
The vitality watchdog warned that the explosion in power-hungry information centres powering the emergence of synthetic intelligence was likewise prone to drive demand for energy era up, with that pattern underpinning electrical energy demand in coal-guzzling China.
The 2024 report reverses the IEA’s prediction final 12 months that coal use would start declining after peaking in 2023.
On the annual UN local weather change discussion board in Dubai final 12 months, nations vowed to transition away from fossil fuels.
However its follow-up this 12 months led to acrimony, with consultants warning that the failure to double down on that landmark pledge at COP29 in Azerbaijan risked jeopardising efforts to combat local weather change.
Your subscription couldn’t be saved. Please strive once more.
Your subscription has been profitable.
Arrange within the wake of the 1973 oil disaster, the IEA types itself as “the world’s main vitality authority”.