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🌱 The Climate Crisis Deepens as Coal Usage Reaches All-Time High 🌋🌍

Global coal use soared to a record high in 2024, deepening the climate crisis. Despite renewable growth, rising energy demand pushed coal consumption to historic levels—threatening global climate targets and highlighting the urgent need for faster clean energy transition.

Author

Green Glow
October 23, 2025

In 2024, global coal consumption reached a record high, marking a worrying milestone for the planet’s ongoing struggle against climate change. Despite years of pledges to transition toward renewable energy, new data reveals that coal—the world’s most carbon-intensive fuel—is still expanding. This surge highlights the widening gap between climate commitments and real-world action.

Table of Contents

Global Coal Use Hits a Record in 2024

According to recent findings from the World Resources Institute’s Systems Change Lab, the total amount of coal burned worldwide in 2024 exceeded all previous years. While the share of coal in global electricity generation slightly declined, total power demand rose sharply—meaning overall coal use still climbed.

Asia, particularly India and China, accounted for the largest share of this growth. India alone produced over 1 billion tonnes of coal last year, as rapid industrialization and population growth drove energy demand to new heights.

The Energy Paradox: Renewables Rise, But So Does Coal

Renewable energy—especially solar and wind—saw exponential growth in 2024, with record-breaking installations worldwide. Yet, the pace wasn’t fast enough. Every year, global electricity consumption increases, driven by data centers, electric vehicles, and industrial expansion.

The result is a paradox: while renewables grow, they mostly add capacity instead of replacing existing fossil fuels. To stay on track for the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement target, renewable deployment must double over the next five years.

The Carbon Consequences

Coal is responsible for about 40% of global CO₂ emissions from energy. When burned, it releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and fine particulates—pollutants that contribute to global warming, acid rain, and millions of premature deaths from air pollution.

The continued expansion of coal use undermines global climate efforts and makes it increasingly difficult to reach net-zero by 2050. Scientists warn that without an immediate decline in coal consumption, temperature rise could exceed 2 °C, triggering severe weather extremes, sea-level rise, and ecosystem collapse.

Why Countries Still Rely on Coal

Several factors explain why coal remains so dominant:

  • Affordability and availability: Many developing nations have abundant domestic coal reserves and limited access to affordable renewable technologies.

  • Energy security: Governments see coal as a stable, home-grown energy source that reduces reliance on volatile global gas markets.

  • Slow policy reform: Subsidies for fossil fuels, weak carbon pricing, and delayed infrastructure investments continue to favour coal.

However, the economic argument for coal is becoming weaker. Solar and wind power are now the cheapest sources of new electricity in most countries.

The Path Forward: Accelerate the Transition

Experts emphasize that to reverse this trend, countries must:

  1. Phase out coal subsidies and redirect funding to renewables and grid upgrades.

  2. Invest in storage technologies like batteries and green hydrogen to handle renewable variability.

  3. Support developing economies with climate finance and technology transfer.

  4. Implement strict emissions caps and carbon pricing mechanisms to discourage coal expansion.

The window to act is narrowing. Every new coal plant locks in decades of emissions, making it harder to meet future targets.

Conclusion

The record-high coal usage in 2024 underscores a stark truth: the world’s energy transition is moving forward—but not fast enough. As the climate crisis deepens, global leaders face a choice between short-term convenience and long-term survival. Ending coal dependency isn’t just about cleaner air or lower emissions—it’s about securing a livable planet for future generations.

FAQs

Why did global coal use increase in 2024?

Because total electricity demand grew faster than renewable energy capacity, leading to higher overall coal consumption even as its share in electricity generation declined.

Which countries use the most coal?

China and India are the top two consumers, followed by the United States, Indonesia, and Russia.

Is renewable energy replacing coal?

Renewables are growing rapidly but not yet fast enough to replace existing coal capacity worldwide.

How much does coal contribute to climate change?

Coal accounts for roughly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions from energy use.

What can be done to reduce coal dependency?

Investing in renewables, improving grid efficiency, removing fossil fuel subsidies, and enforcing carbon pricing can accelerate the transition.

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