The worldwide demand for coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, reached a historic peak in 2024. However, it is expected to stabilize by 2027 thanks to the rise of renewable energies.
This was estimated on Wednesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The record comes in parallel with the warming of the planet, which will experience the warmest year on record this year.
Thus, it will exceed for the first time the 1.5 ºC mark compared to pre-industrial levels, according to the European observatory Copernicus.
Alert on worldwide coal demand
Coal demand this year will reach 8770 million tons, according to the IEA. And global coal trade will also reach an unprecedented volume of 1550 million tons, with prices 50% higher than the average observed between 2017 and 2019.
In 2023, records were set for both coal and temperatures. The worldwide demand for this fuel reached a historic level of 8530 tons while the planet experienced its warmest year ever recorded.
“Our models show that worldwide coal demand should stabilize by 2027, even if electricity consumption increases sharply,” said Keisuke Sadamori, director of energy markets at the IEA.
Clean energies, the hope to reduce coal use
“The rapid deployment of clean energy technologies is transforming the global electricity sector, which accounts for two-thirds of global coal consumption,” Sadamori adds.
Therefore, the speed of electricity demand growth “will be equally decisive in the medium term,” he points out.
China is also a key player and the driving force in this market: one-third of the coal consumed in the world is burned in the power plants of the Asian giant, according to this report.
The demand for this fuel is also growing in other emerging economies such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam due to their economic and demographic growth, according to the IEA.
“Asia remains at the center of international coal trade,” the agency states.
On this continent, the main importing countries are China, India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, while Indonesia and Australia are the largest exporters.
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