Driven by surging electricity demand in China and India, global coal use is set to hit an all-time high in 2024, disproving past predictions from energy “experts.”
The International Energy Agency (IEA) — a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that provides energy policy recommendations — said in its Coal 2020 report that “coal demand is expected to flatten” and that “it is likely that global coal demand peaked in 2013 at just over 8Bt [billion tons].” Now, however, a Wednesday report from the agency predicts coal demand will reach a new record of nearly 8.8 billion tons in 2024, as increased coal use in China and India continues to outweigh a decline in U.S. consumption. (RELATED: John Podesta, CCP Official To Discuss Climate Cooperation Amid Chinese Coal Binge)
“While coal demand in advanced economies continues to shrink, this decline is expected to be…
