Coal consumption around the world has never been higher. “Last year, it jumped 3.3% to pass the symbolic bar of 8 billion tonnes burned. In the first half of 2023, the International Energy Agency announces a further increase of an additional 1.5%”, details the journalist Jean-Christophe Batteria on the set of 19/20. China alone accounts for half of global consumption, followed by India at 20%. “The European Union and the United States together represent only 10%“says the journalist.
Coal responsible for a third of global warming
The reason for this increase? “The increase in electricity demand, particularly in China with the resumption of post-Covid activity“, explains Jean-Christophe Battery. In the country, more than 66% of electricity is produced from coal. “The extraction and combustion of coal is responsible for 34% of total CO2 emissions from human activity. Logically, IPCC experts make coal responsible for 1/3 of global warming”, he continues. Its use will be at the heart of discussions at COP28 in November 2023.