Global Coal Use Hits Record in 2024 — Why The Energy Transition is Off‐track

Professional News Analysis

Global use of coal hit record high in 2024

By the Green Fuel Journal Research Division Author Credit: Sam Blake — Academic Researcher, Green Fuel Journal Date of Review: October 22, 2025

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

News Analysis

In 2024, global coal consumption reached a record high, even as renewable energy sources expanded rapidly and many nations pledged to reduce fossil-fuel use. A new report underscores that the world’s transition away from coal is significantly off track.

What the numbers and trends show

• According to the latest assessment by a major climate research organization, coal use in absolute terms rose in 2024, despite coal’s share in electricity generation declining.

• As one expert put it: “We are largely doing the right things. We are just not moving fast enough.”

• The report finds that for the fifth consecutive edition, efforts to phase out coal are well off schedule.

• While renewables — especially solar — are described as growing “exponentially”, the growth rate today still needs to double (or more) for the world to meet emissions cuts required by the end of the decade.

• In 2024 more than 8 million hectares of forest were permanently lost globally, highlighting that natural carbon sinks are under pressure, which further complicates emissions-reduction efforts.

Why absolute coal use rose despite the clean-energy surge

• Rising energy demand: Many economies, especially in the Global South, are expanding rapidly, boosting electricity and industrial demand. Even as solar, wind and other renewables scale up, the residual demand is still being met by coal in many places.

• Lag in infrastructure/transition: Building out renewables, grid-storage, demand management and electrifying heavy industry takes time. As a result, fossil fuels remain a fallback or even growth option in the short term.

• Policy and subsidy misalignment: Some governments continue to promote coal production or maintain subsidies, while others move aggressively on clean energy. This unevenness creates global inertia rather than momentum.

• Emerging-economy dynamics: For many developing nations, coal remains a readily accessible and familiar source of baseline power. At the same time they are installing renewables — hence the paradox of “coal plus clean” rather than “clean instead of coal”.

Implications for climate, policy and industry

• Climate-target risk: If coal use continues to rise, or even to hold steady at elevated levels, global CO₂ emissions will remain high or increase — making it extremely difficult to limit warming to 1.5 °C.

• Lock-in and stranded-asset danger: Every new coal plant or mine built today embeds high-carbon infrastructure for decades. As global policy tightens, these assets face risk of becoming stranded.

• Energy-justice trade-off: Many low- and middle-income countries face the dilemma of expanding energy access, increasing industrial capacity and achieving development goals — all while decarbonising. The cost and complexity of this dual burden are significant.

• Broader ripple effects: Increased coal use affects air quality, public health, local economies, and international investment flows. It also raises the cost and urgency of adaptation efforts.

• Industrial decarbonisation bottleneck: Sectors such as steelmaking, cement, and heavy industrial heat remain heavily coal-dependent in many regions — progress here is slower and harder than in electricity alone.

Who benefits and who bears risk

Short-term winners:

• Coal-mining firms and coal-fired power utilities in regions where demand is growing.

• Countries or regions with rapidly rising power demand and limited alternatives for baseline power.

Long-term losers:

• Global climate goals and societies vulnerable to climate impacts: the delay in coal reduction means higher emissions and more severe risks.

• Investors and policymakers banking on a smooth, fast transition: the inertia shown in the data suggests more turbulence ahead.

• Populations in high-coal regions: air-pollution, health burdens and local environmental damage remain elevated.

What to keep an eye on going forward

• The upcoming COP30 climate summit will test whether nations step up with more robust coal-phase-out commitments and realistic transition plans.

• Are countries/investors able to ramp up renewable energy + storage + efficiency fast enough to reduce absolute coal use, not just slow its growth?

• What progress is made in decarbonising heavy industry (steel, cement) which are major coal users?

• How will the transition address the just-transition challenge (jobs, regions dependent on coal) in developing countries?

• Will financial flows (investment, subsidies) shift decisively away from coal and toward clean alternatives, or will coal continue to attract new investments in some regions?

Key caveats & uncertainties

• Data timing and quality: Coal-use data from some countries lags or is less transparent. The global aggregate masks substantial regional variation.

• Forecast vs reality: While 2024 shows a record, that does not guarantee continued growth — supply shocks, regulatory changes or economic downturns could reduce coal use.

• Regional variation matters: Though globally coal rose, some advanced economies are reducing their use — the global picture hides divergent national trajectories.

• Technological disruption: Emerging technologies such as carbon-capture, hydrogen, advanced storage could change the pathway — but they are not yet scaling at the needed pace.

• Demand-shock risk: External shocks (e.g., rapid economic slowdown, major shift to efficiency) could reduce demand for coal — but the risk remains that coal may instead serve as the fallback when the grid or renewables falter.

Final Word

The surge in global coal use in 2024 is both a symptom of the transition’s current limitations and a signal of urgency: even as renewable energy expands, coal is still being burnt in ever-greater absolute volumes. The world is no longer merely behind schedule — we are now visibly off track if the aim is to limit warming to 1.5 °C. The only question now is: will the next few years mark a turning-point where coal declines in absolute terms — or will the dual path of growing demand and fossil fallback continue to undermine climate ambition?

References

• Global use of coal hit record high in 2024 (The Guardian)

• Coal 2024 – Executive Summary (International Energy Agency)

• Global coal consumption hits new highs (Environmental Health News)

• Renewables and natural gas surge ahead of oil and coal (Reuters)

Author Note and Disclaimer:

This analysis was prepared by the Green Fuel Journal Research Division as an independent review of publicly available information. The findings and interpretations represent professional judgment based on the best available data as of October 2025. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the authors accept no liability for any errors or omissions. Readers should consult primary sources before drawing policy or investment conclusions.