Coal Consumption Around the World

China consumes 55% of the world's coal, and that consumption continues to rise. As a whole, The Asia Pacific region is responsible for 81% of the world's coal consumption, as well as the vast majority of the world's ongoing carbon dioxide emissions.

China's reliance on coal fired power generation increased during the first half of 2023 as continued drought severely reduced hydroelectric power in the southern provinces. ⁽²⁾

China's reliance on coal fired power generation

China consumes 55% of the world's coal, and that consumption continues to rise. As a whole, The Asia Pacific region is responsible for 81% of the world's coal consumption, as well as the vast majority of the world's ongoing carbon dioxide emissions.

China's reliance on coal fired power generation increased during the first half of 2023 as continued drought severely reduced hydroelectric power in the southern provinces. ⁽²⁾

China is on track to set a new record high for coal consumption in 2023. The world's biggest carbon emitter is approving the equivalent of two new coal plants a week.

China has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of going along with the Western push to net-zero. President Xi Jinping reiterated that his country would set its own path on the issue and not be influenced by outside factors. This contradicts Xi's 2015 Paris Agreement pledges to reduce China's carbon emissions at the latest after 2030.

Xi's remarks should resound in the halls of the EPA, which is planning to impose billions of dollars of costs on Americans to reduce US emissions. China has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of going along with the Western push to net-zero. ⁽³⁾

India and Southeast Asia

India became the only country besides China to burn more than a billion tons of coal in 2022 as demand grew at 8% on the back of robust economic growth and looks set to maintain the trend this year. ⁽⁴⁾

The continued increase in coal fired generation highlights India's addiction to the dirtiest fossil fuel even as it is home to some of the world's most polluted cities, including the capital New Delhi. The fossil fuel accounts for about three quarters of India's power production and may continue to generate more than half of India's electricity by the end of the decade.

In August, India landed a craft near the Moon's South Pole, an historic feat matched only by three other countries and made possible by the subcontinent's largely uninhibited use of fossil fuels.

Vijay Jayaraj reports, "The acceleration of coal usage between 2000 and 2020 played a pivotal role in bringing electricity to billions and ushering in a new era of economic growth and improved living standards. So much so, that a nation that once did not even have enough for food for its population now has funds for space missions." ⁽⁵⁾

China and India will account for 70% of global coal consumption, or double the amount of coal burned in the rest of the world combined. Together with a double digit growth in consumption in Indonesia, rising Asian demand will offset decline in the US and Europe.

Along with recent growth in Southeast Asia, the dominance of the Asia continent is further increasing in 2024, the share of China, India and other Southeast Asia regions is expected to reach 76%. At the same time, The United States and the European Union's share of coal consumption will fall to 8% by 2024. Globally, demand is seen topping the record level of 2022. ⁽⁴⁾

Support Canada Free Press

Rest of the World

At the COP26 climate summit, a total of 46 countries signed the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition statement promising to accelerate a transition away from unabated coal power generation and cease issuance of new permits for new unabated coal fired power generation projects.

But less than a year later, all those promises went to the dogs, with dozens of countries scrambling to resume coal based energy generation after the Ukraine crisis triggered a global energy meltdown. ⁽⁶⁾

Coal mines and power plants that closed 10 years ago have begun to be reopened in Germany in what industry observers have dubbed a 'spring' for Germany's coal fired power plants. That's a big U-turn considering that Germany's goal had been to phase out all coal generated electricity by 2038.

Other European countries such as Austria, Poland, the Netherlands and Greece have also started restarting coal plants.

United States

In the US, coal demand has been on a downward trend for about 15 years

With coal it's very important to note that US demand is small relative to the world. The US uses only 6.6% of the world's coal, so coal consumption trends outside the US are even more important. ⁽¹⁾

Even if the United States were to get rid of all fossil fuels, this would only make a difference of two-tenths of one degree Celsius in the year 2100. (3)

In April, the EPA released a proposed tailpipe rule that would require 60 percent of new vehicle sales to be battery powered electric by 2030, and two-thirds by 2032. And in May, the EPA proposed a power plant rule that would require most power pants to sequester, or bury, 90 percent of their carbon emissions, or go out of business by 2040. These rules would result in tens of billions of dollars in annual costs to the US economy, and with no reduction to global emissions, if China replaces US emissions with its own emissions. ⁽³⁾

References

1. Robert Rapier, "Why the world just can't kick coal," oilprice.com, July 27, 2023

2. John Kemp, "Column: Beset by drought, China turned to coal to keep lights on," reuters.com, July 23, 2023

3. Diana Furchtgott, " China abandons Paris Agreement, making US efforts painful and pointless," heritage.org, July 26, 2023

4. Sanjay Dutta, "India becomes only country after China to burn 1 billion tons of coal," timesofindia.indiatimes.com, July 27, 2023

5. Vijay Jayaraj, "From poverty to moon landing: how coal propelled Indian economy," co2coalition.org, August 23, 2023

6. Alex Kimani," China has approved more than 50 gigawatts of new coal power", oilprice.com, August 8, 2023

VIEW Comments