A recent report on climate change reveals that global coal use surged to a record high in 2024, signaling that the world is falling off track to meet the international commitment to limit global heating to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, the Guardian reported, citing the State of Climate Action report.
According to the study, overall electricity demand rose so quickly that renewable energy capacity could not keep pace, forcing increased coal use.
«We’re doing many of the right things, just not fast enough,» said Clea Schumer, a research associate at the World Resources Institute (WRI), which led the study. She emphasized that, for the fifth year in a row, coal phase-out efforts have fallen short of global targets.
Even though clean energy, especially solar, is growing at record speed, the report warns that this pace must be doubled within the next decade to cut emissions enough. Meanwhile, at least two big countries – India and the U.S. – continue to actively support coal production, with the U.S. even rolling back clean energy incentives introduced during previous administrations.
The European Union and China, on the other hand, continue to invest heavily in renewables, offering hope that, in the future, these efforts will mitigate the damage caused by coal use in different regions. The study also flags mounting concerns over surging industrial emissions and deforestation, a dangerous process that continues worldwide, though at a slightly slower pace.
