Despite Global Promises to Phase Down, Coal Usage Increases
(MENAFN) Despite global promises to phase down the use of coal, a report by Global Energy Monitor reveals that coal usage increased in 2022, contributing to the rise of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere. Coal usage went up by 1% with the addition of 19.5 gigawatts last year, enough to light up around 15 million homes, with almost all newly commissioned coal projects located in China. The report stated that the world needs to retire its coal fleet four and a half times faster to achieve climate goals. The report's lead author and the project manager for GEM's Global Coal plant Tracker, Flora Champenois, emphasized that "the more new coal projects come online, the steeper the cuts and commitments need to be in the future."
The report also found that 14 countries added new coal plants, and eight countries announced new coal projects. Among the countries that both added new coal plants and announced new projects were China, India, Indonesia, Turkiye, and Zimbabwe. China accounted for 92% of all new coal project announcements, adding 26.8 gigawatts of new coal power capacity to its electricity grids. India added around 3.5 gigawatts of new coal power capacity. China also gave clearance for nearly 100 gigawatts of new coal power projects, with construction likely to begin this year.
Despite the increase in coal usage, energy analyst Shantanu Srivastava, based in New Delhi's Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, maintains that "the long term trajectory is still toward clean energy." He suggests that the pandemic and the war in Ukraine temporarily drove some nations towards fossil fuels. Europe only saw a minor increase in coal use, while the United States retired 13.5 gigawatts of coal power capacity, and 17 countries closed coal plants in the past year.
The report highlights the urgent need for countries to take bold actions in phasing out coal usage and promoting clean energy to achieve climate goals. The international community must work together to ensure that the measures to combat climate change are implemented to safeguard the planet's future.
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