"Five years after virtually every world leader agreed to “phase down” the burning of coal for climate reasons, the fuel is more widely used than ever."
"The world is set to burn record amounts of coal this year, in large part because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday.
The agency projected that global coal consumption will increase 1.2 percent this year compared to last year, reaching an all-time high of 8.94 billion metric tons. A big reason is that many countries have struggled to procure enough oil and natural gas because of disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. That has led places like Europe, China, Japan and Korea to burn more coal for electricity instead. While coal is highly polluting, it is also abundant and often cheap.
At the same time, a powerful global weather pattern known as El Niño is expected to drive up coal use this year in countries like Vietnam and India by increasing demand for air-conditioning and reducing output from hydropower dams, the agency said.
The increase in coal use is a major setback for efforts to address climate change. When burned for fuel, coal produces more air pollutants and more planet-warming greenhouse gases than any other energy source, including natural gas. Five years ago at an international climate conference in Glasgow, diplomats from nearly every
country agreed to “phase down” global coal consumption to slow the ri se in global temperatures."
Brad Plumer reports for the New York Times September10, 2026.
