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Despite regulatory and treaty efforts by Western governments to reduce the use of carbon dioxide producing fossil fuels like coal, the world is set to use more coal than ever. Leslie Hook reports for the Financial Times:
Global coal use will reach a record level this year as the war in Ukraine and growing demand in India and Europe push consumption of the fuel to new highs.
The trend flies in the face of pledges made at the UN climate talks last year, when 194 countries pledged to phase down their use of coal to curb emissions.
Coal consumption will rise by 1.2 per cent this year compared to the previous year, eclipsing the previous record set in 2013, according to a report out today from the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based energy watchdog.
“Coal demand is stubborn and will likely reach an all-time high this year, pushing up global emissions,” said Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA’s director of energy markets and security.
He expects coal use to stay high next year and in 2024 because of growing demand from emerging economies such as India, China and south-east Asia.
“The world is close to a peak in fossil fuel use, with coal set to be the first to decline, but we are not there yet,” he added.
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