Global coal consumption will likely peak by next year as economics and climate strategies shift the world toward cleaner energy, but several wild cards could determine how long the dirtiest fossil fuel persists, according to BloombergNEF.
Coal power generation increased in each of the past two years as China and India battled electricity shortages and Europe tried to replace Russian natural gas. BNEF modeled two scenarios — a purely economic one and one driven by policies to reach net zero emissions by 2050 — both of which see demand rise to a record next year before declining.
