Not only is China the largest user of energy on the planet but it dominates the consumption of coal which is by far the most toxic modern form of energy. Add to that the fact that China burns high sulfur coal which is 2-3 more noxious than US coal.
So all the green lobbyists who frett about US production of fossil fuels and the need to put up windmills are basically FOS. If you want to clean up the planet the fastest way to do it is to encourage China to switch from Coal to Natural Gas (about 65% cleaner) &/or nuclear power generation which is 100% cleaner.
Visualizing the Rise in Global Coal Consumption (1965-2023)
Despite efforts to decarbonize the economy, global coal consumption surpassed 164 exajoules for the first time in 2023. The fossil fuel still accounts for 26% of the world’s total energy consumption.
In this graphic, we show global coal consumption by region from 1965 to 2023, based on data from the Energy Institute.
China Leads in Coal Consumption
China is by far the largest consumer of coal, accounting for 56% of the global total, with 91.94 exajoules in 2023.
It is followed by India, with 21.98 exajoules, and the U.S., with 8.20 exajoules. In 2023, India exceeded the combined consumption of Europe and North America for the first time.
Regionally, North America, Europe, and even the Rest of World have seen a decline in coal consumption since the 1990s. The Asia-Pacific region, however, has made up for this demand and more, with consumption soaring since about the year 2000.
Coal Production on the Rise
In order to meet consumption demand, global coal production also reached its highest-ever level in 2023.
Over 8.7 billion tonnes of coal were mined, equal to about 179 exajoules worth, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for nearly 80% of global output. This activity was concentrated in Australia, China, India, and Indonesia.
China alone was responsible for just over half of total global production.
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