The International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday that global coal consumption will reach, for the first time in history, 8.53 billion tons in 2023.
A historic record that became known two days after the countries meeting at the Climate Change Conference (COP28) committed to end the use of fossil fuels. This agreement was applauded by China, which urged developed countries to assume their "historical responsibility" and lead towards the end of the use of polluting energy sources. According to the IEA, however, the Asian giant was one of the main causes of the increase in coal consumption.
While China increased its consumption by 5%, the United States and the European Union reduced it by around 20% each. India and Indonesia, also present at COP28, were two other major players in the increase. These three countries accounted for 70% of global coal production.
The international energy agency expects both China and India to end the year by surpassing their individual consumption records: 450 million tons for the former - exceeding its previous peak by 100 million tons - and 500 million tons for the latter.
