Coal consumption hit a record high worldwide last year despite efforts to transition to clean energy, jeopardizing global attempts to curb global warming.
The share of coal in electricity generation has declined as renewable energy has increased. But the general increase in electricity demand means more coal has been used overall, according to the annual State of Climate Action report, released Wednesday.
The report paints a bleak picture of the world’s chances of avoiding the increasingly serious consequences of the climate crisis. Countries are failing to meet their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which have continued to increase, albeit at a slower rate than before.
Clea Schumer, a research associate at the World Resources Institute think tank, who led the report, said: “There is no doubt that we are largely doing the right things. We are simply not moving fast enough. One of the most worrying findings of our assessment is that for the fifth consecutive report in our series, efforts to phase out coal are far from on track.”
If the world is to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris climate agreement, then more sectors must use electricity instead of oil, gas or other fossil fuels.
But this will only work if the world’s electricity supply shifts to a low-carbon system. “The problem is that an electricity system that relies on fossil fuels has huge ripple and ripple effects,” Schumer said. “The message on this is very clear. We simply will not limit warming to 1.5°C if coal use continues to break records.”
Although most governments are expected to aim to “phase down” coal use after a commitment in 2021, some are moving ahead with the dirtier fuel. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated surpassing 1 billion tons of coal production this year, and in the United States, Donald Trump declared his support for coal and other fossil fuels.
Trump’s efforts to end renewable energy projects and remove funding and incentives for switching to low-carbon energy sources have not yet translated into an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. But the report suggests that these efforts will have an effect in the future, although others, notably China and the EU, could mitigate this impact by continuing to favor renewable energy.
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The good news is that renewable energy production has grown “exponentially,” according to the report, which calls solar energy “the fastest growing energy source in history.” However, this is still not enough: annual growth rates for solar and wind must double for the world to achieve the necessary emissions reductions by the end of this decade.
Sophie Boehm, senior research associate at WRI’s Systems Change Lab and lead author of the report, said: “There is no doubt that the United States’ recent attacks on clean energy are making it harder for the world to keep the Paris Agreement’s goal within reach. But the broader transition is far bigger than any one country, and momentum is building in emerging markets and economies, where clean energy has become the path forward. cheapest and most reliable towards economic growth and energy security. “
The world is moving too slowly in improving energy efficiency, particularly in reducing carbon emissions from heating buildings. Industrial emissions are also a concern: the steel sector has increased its “carbon intensity” – the carbon produced with each unit of steel manufactured – despite efforts by some countries to shift to low-carbon methods.
The electrification of road transport is progressing more quickly: more than one in five new vehicles sold last year was electric. In China, the share was closer to half.
The report also warns about the state of the planet’s “carbon sinks” – forests, peatlands, wetlands, oceans and other natural features that store carbon. While nations have repeatedly pledged to protect their forests, they continue to be cut down, albeit at a slower rate in some areas. By 2024, more than 8 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest will have been permanently lost. That’s below the peak of nearly 11 million hectares reached in 2017, but worse than the 7.8 million hectares lost in 2021. The world must act nine times faster to stop deforestation than governments are managing, the report said.
World leaders and senior officials will gather in Brazil next month for the UN Cop30 climate summit, to discuss how to put the world on track to stay within 1.5C of global warming, in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Each government is supposed to submit a detailed national plan for reducing emissions, called a “nationally determined contribution”. But it is already clear that these plans will be insufficient and so the key question will be how countries respond.
