Despite scientific warnings about global-warming greenhouse gas emissions, consumption of coal – the filthiest fossil fuel – has steadily risen since 2020.
Earlier in December, the EU climate monitoring service Copernicus said that 2024 was “effectively certain” to be the hottest year ever recorded.
This year, 8.77 billion tonnes of coal was burned around the world, according to a new report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
They do, however, predict it will plateau in 2027, although this is dependent upon China, which since the year 2000 has consumed 30% more coal than the rest of the world combined in its unyielding demand for electricity.
The IEA warns that the increase in power-hungry data centres fuelling the emergence of artificial intelligence will likely drive demand for power generation even higher in coming years.
