By Vijay Jayaraj
Despite the fanfare around wind and sun, the world’s dependence on fossil fuels is growing. Last week, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser speak that the world is currently “transitioning to coal.”
Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Energy Minister, speak, “Many countries, especially in Europe, which are strong advocates of green energy and a carbon-free future, have taken a sudden and clear turn. Today, coal burning is once again on the rise reaching the highest level since 2014”.
They are right. Global coal demand will reach a historic high in 2022, similar to the record level of 2013. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “Global coal consumption is forecast to increase by 0.7% in 2022 to 8 billion tons…. Coal consumption in the European Union is expected to grow by 7% in 2022, higher than last year’s 14% increase.
Coal will continue to be a sought-after energy source, the IEA said, as “increased gas prices after 2030 will make existing coal-fired power generation more economical.” Global energy demand will increase by 47% between now and 2050, and oil is expected to be the main source of energy.
Analysts are projection “A major transition from gas to coal fuel in the electric and industrial sectors” of Europe. Yes, not gas for renewables, but gas for coal. In fact, the European Union’s coal consumption grew 16% year-on-year in the first half of 2022. European countries imported 7.9 million tons of thermal coal in June, more than doubled over the same period last year. Annual coal imports are expected to hit 100 million tonnes by year-end, the highest since 2017.
Even in the most developed Western economies such as Germany and the UK, fossil fuels continue to dominate as the only reliable source of energy. Germany is set to become Indonesia’s third highest coal importer by 2023, right behind China and India.
AP said“Coal, long considered a heritage fuel in Europe, is now helping the continent protect its electricity supply and cope with the dramatic increase in natural gas prices due to the war.” Instead of wind or solar power, it is coal that powers the lights in Europe.
Following coal’s tremendous performance, a senior analyst at Shaw and Partners commented, “Who would have thought dirty coal was the best performer of the last financial year? This fiscal year has also been the best performing sector so far. “
Given this reality, can Western economies protect themselves from falling victim to their own green policies that neither generate the necessary energy nor save the planet?
Many Western leaders are unwilling to admit that this is a self-inflicted misery because their obsession with green energy has damaged fossil fuel supplies.
The main goal of the global green energy movement is to make economies transition to renewable energy sources, a move that some believe will help save the planet from climate change. However, sources such as wind, solar and biomass are neither reliable nor affordable – even “renewable”. These indisputable facts have been ignored as Western economies continue to make their so-called energy transitions.
As a result, much of Europe, Britain and North America fell into energy turmoil.
Instead of tapping into their abundant fossil fuel resources, these economies are in a state of lamentation, desperate to buy the very fuels they once despised.
This week, the White House said it was concerned about oil production cuts announced by OPEC, despite the Biden administration’s denial of domestic oil. In Europe, leaders are annoyed by a shortage of gas, another fossil fuel they say is bad for the planet.
Saad Al-Kaabi of Qatar says Europe’s “green” policies are to blame for high energy prices and leaders in the West “have no plan”. Energy shortages have forced them to turn back to the most reliable sources – coal and oil. They are currently looking to ensure energy security for the winter, when many believe that there will be power-off in the UK and Germany.
Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate of the CO2 Alliance, Arlington, Va., and holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, UK. He resides in Bengaluru, India.
This comment is the first published by Washington TimesOctober 25, 2022
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