Coal Use Hits All-Time High Despite Renewable Energy Boom

Global coal consumption reached a record high in 2024, according to the World Resources Institute's annual State of Climate Action report published this week.

The increase occurred despite rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity worldwide.

While coal's share of electricity generation declined as clean energy surged, overall power demand grew sufficiently to push total coal use to unprecedented levels.

The findings cast doubt on whether countries can meet their climate commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Off-track for the fifth year running

"One of the most concerning findings from our assessment is that for the fifth report in our series in a row, efforts to phase out coal are well off track," said Clea Schumer, a Research Associate at the WRI.

Clea warned that continued coal expansion would undermine global climate goals.

"The message on this is crystal clear. We simply will not limit warming to 1.5C if coal use keeps breaking records."

The report found that 73 indicators tracking progress towards net zero emissions by 2050 showed most targets were not being met.

Greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise in 2024, albeit at a slower rate than in previous years.

The political headwinds preventing the phase-out of coal

Some governments are actively promoting coal despite international commitments to phase down the fuel.

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, celebrated surpassing one billion tonnes of coal production this year.

In the US, Donald Trump has championed coal and other fossil fuels whilst attempting to halt renewable energy projects.

Trump's efforts to remove funding and incentives for low-carbon power have not yet significantly impacted emissions data, though the report warned of future effects.

However, continued renewable energy expansion in China and the European Union could offset some of these setbacks.

The growth in renewables is good, but not enough

Solar power has become the fastest-growing energy source in history, with the report describing renewable generation growth as exponential.

Yet this expansion remains inadequate to meet climate targets.

Annual growth rates for solar and wind power need to double by 2030 to achieve necessary emissions reductions.

"There's no question that the US's recent attacks on clean energy make it more challenging for the world to keep the Paris agreement goal within reach," explains Sophie Boehm, a Senior Research Associate at the WRI's Systems Change Lab and lead author of the report.

"But the broader transition is much bigger than any one country, and momentum is building across markets and emerging economies, where clean energy has become the cheapest, most reliable path to economic growth and energy security."

The challenge stems from the shift towards electrification across multiple sectors.

As transport, heating and industry move away from direct fossil fuel use towards electricity, power demand increases substantially.

This transition only reduces emissions if electricity generation itself becomes carbon-free.

Why some sectors are lagging so far behind

Progress on energy efficiency remains slow, particularly in reducing carbon emissions from space heating, which contributes to around 40% of all global emissions.

Elsewhere, the steel sector has increased its carbon intensity despite some countries adopting low-carbon manufacturing methods.

The global adoption of EVs paints a brighter picture, with more than one in five new vehicles sold globally now electric. In China, that figure has approached 50% this year with the rise of BYD partly to thank.

Deforestation is continuing despite repeated international pledges to protect forests, with more than eight million hectares of forest being permanently lost in 2024.

There are World leaders will gather at the COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil next month to discuss emissions reduction strategies.

Each government must submit detailed national plans, though these are already expected to fall short of what is required to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.