Global use of coal hit record high in 2024

[muriel_volestrangler]

Coal use hit a record high around the world last year despite efforts to switch to clean energy, imperilling the attempts to rein in global heating.

The share of coal in electricity generation dropped as renewable energy surged ahead. But the general increase in power demand meant that more coal was used overall, according to the annual State of Climate Action report, published on Wednesday.

The report painted a grim picture of the world’s chances of avoiding increasingly severe impacts from the climate crisis. Countries are falling behind the targets they have set for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which have continued to rise, albeit at a lower rate than before.
...
Though most governments are supposed to be aiming to “phase down” coal use after a commitment made in 2021, some are pushing ahead with the most polluting fuel. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, celebrated surpassing 1bn tonnes of coal production this year, and in the US Donald Trump has declared his support for coal and other fossil fuels.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/22/global-use-of-coal-hit-record-high-in-2024

Power demand from AI doesn't help. Whoever it was that regularly said on DU that power demand expanded to use whatever technology was available, so our emissions would not fall significantly, was right.

[LymphocyteLover]

1. it's so depressing and fucked up

[NNadir]

2. The unfortunate reality is that data servers need reliable energy.

In recent years, as an add on to their successful, and frankly deadly, attack on nuclear energy, advocates for the now multitrillion dollar failled experiment on solar and wind have been selling the scheme by muttering insipidly that so called "renewable energy" is an alternative to coal.

The reality is belied by the fact that the Germans didn't shut their coal plants. On the contrary, they embraced them. They shut their nuclear plants, killing not just people, but all living things affected by extreme global heating.

Solar and wind are not alternatives to any form of reliable energy, dirty forms like coal, gas, and petroleum, nor clean forms like nuclear energy.

The piper is here to be paid.