China burns record coal despite pledge to reduce emissions

1 October 2024, was the first day in nearly 150 years that power plants in the UK did not burn any coal to generate electricity. However, China is burning record amount of coal, despite the country’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its investment in renewable energy — accounting for more than 50% of global coal demand.

The IEA has revised up its forecast for China’s coal demand, expecting it to hit a record every year until at least 2027.

And it’s not just in China. Global operating coal capacity grew by 2% in 2023, with a small increase from countries other than China, for the first time since 1979; in particular, in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan.

As demand for cheap energy increase in China (and elsewhere) with AI and manufacturing demands, an economic slowdown, as well as geopolitical tensions and tariffs from the US, coal consumption will be a very difficult stop.