Key findings from an analysis of coal consumption in 2015 compared to 2014 shows:
- Global coal consumption fell 2.3 - 4.6% in the first nine months of 2015, making it the biggest fall in history.
- The fall is led by the US and China. In the US, coal plant closures achieved by successful local and national movements are driving consumption down, with renewable energy and lower demand covering most of the gap. In China, the war on pollution, and renewable energy and economic transformation are leading to a precipitous decline.
- China: There was a huge boom, now there is a huge fall.
- The European Union does not seem to be rebounding from the record fall last year, with UK registering a huge reduction of more than 10%.
- Lower coal import prices are failing to stimulate demand in other markets.
- Global coal consumption has to fall 4% every year from now to 2040 to keep warming below 2 degrees.
Coal and Energy campaigner Lauri Myllyvirtan from Greenpeace International said:
“These trends show that the so-called global coal boom in the first decade of the 21st century was a mirage.
“There was a Chinese coal boom, but that disguised what was happening in the rest of the world.
“Coal is in terminal decline, and those countries investing in coal for export markets are making reckless decisions. They will be scarring the landscape and damaging the climate with little prospect of a return on their investment.”
While the pre-COP in Paris is taking place, and ahead of the Climate Summit at the end of November, Greenpeace is calling for:
- The complete phase out of coal, oil and gas;
- The talks to establish a long-term goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2050;
- The establishment of a robust, five-yearly mechanism to bring national emissions down step-by-step without a backlash.
ENDS