Record Coal Surge Undermines Global Climate Goals Despite Renewable Energy Boom

Global Energy Paradox: Renewables Grow While Coal Consumption Hits New Peak

The world faces a troubling energy contradiction: while renewable energy sources are expanding at unprecedented rates, global coal consumption reached a record high in 2024, threatening international climate targets and accelerating global heating. According to the annual State of Climate Action report, this coal surge occurred despite significant progress in clean energy deployment, creating what analysts call an “energy transition gap” that could jeopardize the Paris Agreement’s goals.

Global Energy Paradox: Renewables Grow While Coal Consumption Hits New Peak
Climate Progress Off-Track Despite Renewable Momentum
Political Headwinds Complicate Clean Energy Transition
Renewable Growth Impressive But Insufficient
Sector-Specific Progress Shows Mixed Results
Critical Climate Summit Approaches Amid Implementation Gap

The central paradox lies in electricity demand patterns – while renewables captured a larger share of power generation than ever before, overall electricity consumption grew so substantially that fossil fuel use, particularly coal, increased in absolute terms. This represents a critical challenge for climate policymakers who must address both the supply and demand sides of the energy equation simultaneously., according to recent research

Climate Progress Off-Track Despite Renewable Momentum

Clea Schumer, a research associate at the World Resources Institute, which led the report, expressed concern about the persistent gap between climate ambitions and actual progress. “There’s no doubt that we are largely doing the right things. We are just not moving fast enough,” Schumer noted. “For the fifth consecutive report in our series, efforts to phase out coal remain well off track.”

The report paints a particularly grim picture for the 1.5°C warming limit established in the Paris Agreement. To maintain this threshold, global carbon emissions must reach net zero by 2050, requiring a fundamental transformation of how societies produce and consume energy. “The message on this is crystal clear,” Schumer emphasized. “We simply will not limit warming to 1.5C if coal use keeps breaking records.”

Political Headwinds Complicate Clean Energy Transition

Despite a 2021 international commitment to “phase down” coal use, political realities in several major economies are moving in the opposite direction. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated surpassing 1 billion tonnes of coal production, framing it as an achievement for energy security and economic development. Meanwhile, in the United States, former President Donald Trump has declared strong support for coal and other fossil fuels, though the report notes that his efforts to slow renewable energy development haven’t yet significantly impacted emissions trends.

Sophie Boehm, a senior research associate at WRI’s Systems Change Lab and lead author of the report, acknowledged these political challenges while maintaining a broader perspective. “There’s no question that the United States’ recent attacks on clean energy make it more challenging for the world to keep the Paris agreement goal within reach,” Boehm stated. “But the broader transition is much bigger than any one country, and momentum is building across markets and emerging economies, where clean energy has become the cheapest, most reliable path to economic growth and energy security.”

Renewable Growth Impressive But Insufficient

The report contains some encouraging news about renewable energy development, describing it as growing “exponentially” with solar power emerging as “the fastest-growing power source in history.” However, this remarkable growth still falls short of what’s needed to achieve necessary emissions reductions. The analysis indicates that annual growth rates for solar and wind power must approximately double by 2030 to put the world on track for Paris Agreement compliance., as previous analysis

This renewable energy acceleration faces multiple barriers:, according to technological advances

Grid infrastructure limitations that cannot always accommodate intermittent renewable sources
Policy inconsistency across different jurisdictions and administrations
Supply chain constraints for critical materials and manufacturing capacity
Financing gaps particularly in developing economies

Sector-Specific Progress Shows Mixed Results

Beyond the power sector, the report reveals varying degrees of climate progress across different industries. Road transportation shows promising momentum, with electric vehicles accounting for more than 20% of new vehicle sales globally in 2024. In China, nearly half of new vehicles sold were electric, demonstrating how targeted policy and manufacturing scale can accelerate adoption.

However, other sectors lag concerningly behind:

Building heating efficiency improvements are progressing too slowly
Industrial emissions remain problematic, with the steel sector actually increasing its carbon intensity despite available low-carbon alternatives
Deforestation continues at alarming rates, with over 8 million hectares of forest permanently lost in 2024

The world’s natural “carbon sinks” – including forests, peatlands, wetlands, and oceans – continue to deteriorate, reducing the planet’s inherent capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon. The report found that global efforts to halt deforestation need to accelerate nine-fold to meet climate targets.

Critical Climate Summit Approaches Amid Implementation Gap

With the COP30 UN climate summit scheduled next month in Brazil, world leaders face mounting pressure to address the implementation gap between climate pledges and actual progress. The summit will focus on how to realign global efforts with the 1.5°C target, with each government expected to submit updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) detailing their emission reduction plans.

However, the report suggests that current commitments will prove inadequate, raising crucial questions about how countries will respond to the growing urgency of the climate crisis. The continued record-breaking coal consumption, despite renewable energy advances, underscores the complex challenge of decarbonizing the global economy while meeting growing energy demand.

The full analysis from the Systems Change Lab provides comprehensive data on global climate progress across multiple sectors, offering policymakers a detailed roadmap for accelerating action in the critical years ahead.

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Cabinet has approved the new Integrated Resource Plan for electricity, referred to as IRP 2025, which outlines a R2.23-trillion investment in South Africa’s energy future. Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will provide a detailed briefing on the plan on October 19, with the full policy to be published in the Government Gazette.

Major Energy Policy Shift Approved

South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the new Integrated Resource Plan for electricity, which is being referred to as ‘IRP 2025’, according to official statements. The plan represents what sources indicate is a significant update to the country’s energy policy framework, focusing on both immediate capacity constraints and long-term sustainability goals.