The International Energy Agency expects coal demand to exceed nine billion tonnes per year by 2019, despite growing pressure for sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, GLOBE-Net reports.
“We have heard many pledges and policies aimed at mitigating climate change,” said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. “But over the next five years, they will mostly fail to arrest the growth in coal demand.”
- Concise headlines. Original content. Timely news and views from a select group of opinion leaders. Special extras.
- Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
- The Weekender: The climate news you need.
Over the study period, China will account for 60% of the growth in global coal demand, the IEA projects. “China will be joined by India, ASEAN countries, and other countries in Asia as the main engines of growth in coal consumption, offsetting declines in Europe and the United States,” GLOBE-Net writes.
Late last month, China announced it would cap its coal use in 2020 at a peak of 4.2 billion tonnes, a one-sixth increase over current consumption.
