As natural gas supplies have been imperiled by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and European nations seek short-term solutions to compensate for droughts and extremely high gas prices, eco-nuts have had to curb their enthusiasm this year.
In 2021, it was reported that wind and solar energy was now contributing more than 10 percent of the world’s electricity, however the gains are being reversed by the increased energy demand in during and post-covid which prompted the increased generation of coal power.
According to the Bloomberg New Enery Fund (BloombergNEF), coal power generation emissions increased by a record 8.5 percent between 2020 and 2021 as the global economy rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New spikes in coal generation are a troubling sign for the economy, our health, and the fight against climate change. This report should be a rallying cry to leaders around the world that the transition to clean energy requires bigger and bolder actions,” said Michael Bloomberg, the UN Secretary General’s special envoy for climate ambition and solutions.
Coal is the largest single share of global electricity generation at 27 percent, though there has been some gains by renewables such as solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, and other zero-carbon power sources.
According to Bloomberg NEF; China, India, and the United States account for 63 percent of burned coal globally. While Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, Germany, Russia, and Australia’s share brings the figure to 87% of coal-generated power. These countries make up the top ten list of global emmissions producers.
