By Jo Nova
The best kept secret in the world is that humans are using more coal than ever
So much for the “stranded dead asset”. In 2022 the world set a new all-time record for coal use — reaching 8.4 billion tons. In 2023, despite all the Net Zero billions in spending, despite the boom in windmills and solar panels, global demand for coal will top 8.54 billion tons.
The IEA is the “International Energy Agency” — supposedly, the impartial servant of 31 nations worth of taxpayers. Yet they decided to ignore the world record and instead tell us how coal is set to decline. It’s what they think the taxpayers need to hear. Their press release:
It’s almost as if the IEA works for the renewables industry and their banker investors? Mr Vestas himself could hardly have written a more successful headline to hide the truth and gaslight the taxpayers.
The IEA has been predicting the end of coal for years. Back in 2017 the IEA was telling us China would move away from coal, because by 2025-2030 “solar would be cheaper than coal”. Instead, China’s burning more coal than ever before and the quarterly reporting season was a bloodbath for the solar and wind industries as projects get cancelled because their costs are rising.
In 2023 China uses more than half of the total coal on the planet — an extraordinary 4.5 billion tons of that 8.5 billion ton total.
The three largest coal producers in the world are China, India and Indonesia which account for a blockbuster 70% of global production. The IEA is convinced coal use will decline any day now, but China’s growth rate in coal use was 5% in 2023, and India’s was 8%. These are hardly signs of the plateau before the fall.
Note how the IEA add their favourite “projection” at the end
To put some perspective on the success of the renewables transition in reducing coal — Australia has more solar panels per capita than any other nation, and while global coal use is 8,536 Mt, in 2022 Australian coal use declined by all of 5 Mt. We only had to spend ten billion dollars to achieve that:
Overall coal consumption in Australia declined from 100 Mt in 2021 to 95 Mt in
2022 and is estimated to have continued its decrease over the course of 2023 with
a reduction of 4%.
Rejoice, global coal use is six one-hundredth of a percent smaller thanks to the Australian Renewable Energy Target and the Safeguard Mechanism emissions market.
In the West the biggest reductions in coal use have come from exporting factories to China, which of course, don’t cut global coal use at all. And ponder at just how incredibly fast the transition to coal has been — from the West to the East:
This year, China, India and Southeast Asia are set to account for three-quarters of global consumption, up from only about one-quarter in 1990.
Just one generation ago…
Excellent news, but only for those who are allowed to burn it.
Certainly not for countries with a woke ideological commitment against inexpensive, reliable, plentiful energy like Australia.
And Australia is not only against coal, but nuclear energy and natural gas as well. Fracking is banned in Victoria as is oil and gas exploration over much of the country. If we don’t use our own resources, guess who’s going to come and take them?
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And when one considers the damage that the small reduction in coal use in Australia has done to the reliability of our electricity grid , the cost of our electricity and the dollars wasted by government and the destruction of industry and the environment you would have to say that the various Australian governments have done a great job in totally stuffing things up. It’s good to see that the current government with Chris Bowen in charge recognising this failure and realising the solution is to do exactly as we’ve been doing in the past only faster.
Don’t blame me. I didn’t vote for these clowns!
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The alternative clowns are the other faction of the Uniparty, the Liberals. They are nearly as bad, and don’t forget it was that weasel Howard that put us on the path of “renewables” madness when he allowed non-dispatchable devices (I won’t call them generators) to connect to the grid. It was also the said same weasel who banned nuclear power production for Australia- signed it into law, FFS.
In future, rational thinkers should vote only for conservative parties.
United Australia Party
Liberal Democrats
One Nation
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Apart from that, it was under Howard’s regime that Australia signed away much of its natural gas supply to the Chicomms at world’s cheapest prices on a bizarre thirty year contract with no provision for inflation or market prices.
https://amp.smh.com.au/opinion/how-australia-blew-its-future-gas-supplies-20170928-gyqg0f.html
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SMH is not a reliable source
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The disastrous contract was well known and commented upon, even at the time.
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These parties have to unite as one. Give more clout , less brain dead Politicians.
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That would be the ideal solution. The same here in the UK with our anti-leftie-scum parties. But, the problem is that if 3 parties combine there will only be one leader, one spokesman etc and I suspect there is an egotistical streak that keeps people wanting to continue with their bit of fame.
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AGAIN just for our blog donkeys who hate REAL World data and evidence.
Here are co2 emissions for the world and add up the NON OECD and OECD to equal world co2 emissions since 1988 if you like or whenever.
China, India and the NON OECD co2 emissions have SOARED since 1988 or since Hansen’s BS and FRAUD speech in Washington DC. The last year is 2022.
You must add in International shipping and Air Travel of about 1 billion tonnes per year as well. The graphs are active so you can start at any year to check the accurate difference.
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-co2-emissions-per-country?country=OWID_WRL~Non-OECD+%28GCP%29~OECD+%28GCP%29
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BTW here’s Aussie’s co2 emissions of about 1% of global emissions.
That’s the horizontal biro line at the bottom of the graph.
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-co2-emissions-per-country?country=OWID_WRL~Non-OECD+%28GCP%29~OECD+%28GCP%29~AUS
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Neville, Australia’s % emissions have been trending down for decades. When I first became awake to the climate scam Australia was about 1.7%. We’ve been hovering around that magical 1% figure now for years. My hunch is that we are actually sub 1%, but because that looks so small as a decimal, those in power don’t want to reveal the true figure.
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Ross our percentage of the total of Human co2 emissions has been trending down for at least 30 years, but we do emit more co2 now, even though the percentage has decreased.
But our population has also increased from about 17 million in 1990 to 26 + million today.
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Ah, and thererin lies the rub. You cannot continuously grow the population with immigrants the majority of which are in any case not beneficial to the fibre of society (but that’s another story), and then preach about the total energy use, CO2 output etc. It needs to be calculated on a per capita basis if you have to go there.
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That’s very interesting. indeed.
The only point I would make is, where is the natural output of the Globe and how is it changing. Without that, the entire argument is meaningless, unless you argue ‘nature’s own’ CO2 has no effect as a greenhouse gas. ‘Methane’? Same argument. ‘Acidification’in a buffered ocean system?
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The accompanying coloured graph explains the sh!tuation very succinctly: however, my feels are that activists will mistake it for a hair-dye selection chart (and celebrate it offering no choice of white). Diversity! by Consensus™.
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Coal, gas, nuclear and real hydro (not SH2) plus petroleum fuels are the lifeblood of modern civilisations.
These provide inexpensive, reliable, plentiful energy with minimal environmental impact.
Without them, civilisation dies.
It really is that simple.
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And without CO2 plants die! With extra CO2 plantlife flourishes. One would think the greens would be overjoyed at that.
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The Greens are aggressive collectivists with goals similar to “The Borg” as depicted in the Star Trek movie. They are “useful idiots and will work to destroy anybody and everything to achieve their goal of full control and submission to the agenda. Zero Carbon is about a quasi religion/wacky ideology that seeks to destroy lift and replace it with a technocratic control grid of trans-human morons.
I’m afraid that we will continue going to a dark place until enough people understand what these nutters are all about.
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War on CO2, on agriculture’s use of manufactured fertilisers, and removing ruminants (can’t see India getting rid of its sacred cattle) are all in the system now. Sri Lanka has already experienced starvation from those policies.Dutch farmers demonstrated against the government farm acreage reduction attempt of their properties, with the same aims.
The world needs to wakeup to the greens. While the Judeo-Christian based nations complain of genocides, their greens aim for policy related ‘world genocide’, by starvation on a massive scale. What else can be their aim? With those policies, while the world population has ~ doubled in 50years and never been so well fed, the only logical endpoint is food rationing on a vast scale. As with their energy constraints, those that don’t die of starvation are likely to be hit by freezing, or, if aged, die from heat exhaustion, or both.
To think eating bugs will save the world, think again. In all the starvations in history is anyone stupid enough to think that hasn’t already been tried by dying, desperate people?
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David , i think you dont give credit to pumped hydro as currently used in Tumit 3 .
It is by far the biggest grid “storage” facility in the country and provides a valuable service to smooth out the demand spikes on the big coal generators.
Whilst SN2 is certainly a political and financial joke, if it is ever completed , it will still be a much cheaper option than installing the equivalent 250 GWh of batteries !
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Chad, I have no problem with properly designed and economical pumped hydro like Tumut 3.
However I don’t think SH2 will ever be finished, or if it is, it will be an economic disaster. The cost doesn’t relate to any conceivable economic benefit.
Of course, electrochemical storage of that capacity will also be an economic disaster.
There are also questions as to whether SH2 could ever meet it’s claimed capacity anyway due to lack of water.
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The cost of back-up batteries for a grid of only solar and wind generators that are unreliable is around $10 TRILLION – and so wil nnever be built.
Snowy 2.0 will only provide the peak power of one coal fired powerstation for several hours, to allow more water to be pumped back up hill to allow the cycyle to be repeated the next day.
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I dont think you inderstand the purpose or method of operation of “storage” or “accumulation” in a variable supply and demand process .
Its sole function is to improve efficiency of the system
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That is manifestly NOT the common public perception. Ever since the snake-oil Turnbull, it was presented as a serious means of major storage, not a simple corrector for minor surges and the like as is the case for the Musk battery in Jamestown SA.
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Well if you listen to politicians , you will not hear the truth…
Of course it is “major storage” .. but it could never be a significant back up for the loss of wind generation in one of our calm nights. It output is only 2 GW max, which itself is not sufficient for many of the daily demand variations, which at 5+ GW, are not “minor surges” .
It can help improve efficiency of the base load coal and gas generators, and the grid generally, but it can never be a magic bullet to make up for the fundamental problems with intermittent wind and solar.
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Since Indonesia is allowed to use coal and nuclear energy without restrictions, Australia could solve its energy crisis by importing coal and nuclear power from them.
It would need a huge cable, but much shorter than the proposed Sun Cable and cheaper as well. Connect Indonesia to the East Coast grid.
It would be expensive but would only cost a small amount compared to the money already thrown away on wind and solar and what is proposed to be thrown away in future.
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Indonesia currently does not have any operating nuclear power reactors although they do have some small research reactors. With current plans that will change in 2028 when the first 500MW molten salt reactor is commissioned on Galesa Island off Sumatra. Current plans are for a total of 10GW of nuclear capacity by 2035. It is claimed the reactors will be cheaper to build than current reactor designs and deliver electricity at US$0.03 at the plant fence.
The prime contracting and design company – Thorcon – has been saying it’s now open to starting discussions with other governments for nuclear plants.
(www.thorconpower.com). A fleet of Thorcon plants on the south coast of Papua plugged into the Australian grid might make a lot of economic sense.
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I don’t have many good things to say about China but good on them for ignoring the stupid leaders in the West. While they flourish we languish all because most of our politicians and all our bureaucrats, none of whom have ever created any wealth but are experts at spending ours, want to save the planet no matter the harm they do to ordinary people. It does not matter to them if the cost of living goes up due to dear energy or ridiculous environmental regulations because they get pay rises in line with inflation. When will the geese, us, stop them from stealing our eggs?
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Don’t forget the appalling role of the CSIRO in going along with the whole “renewables” scam.
One of their roles is to provide impartial, professional, scientific advice to government.
Rather than going along with anti-scientific, woke, green, ideological madness, they should have advised Howard (who initiated the scam) and his successors that wind and solar are not viable, and secondly, that there is no climate crisis in the first place.
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The facts are that EXPENSIVE TOXIC, UNRELIABLE W & S destroy the OFFSHORE and ONSHORE ENVIRONMENTS and we should throw these vile disasters on the rubbish heap forever and ASAP.
The Labor and Greens parties don’t care until it’s in their backyard.
Even the Bob Brown idiot woke up fast and didn’t want any TOXIC Wind farms near his chosen piece of Tasmania a few years ago.
Alright for that chosen Brown idiot, but tough luck for the rest of us and the farmers who have to suffer even more problems and costs while trying to survive and make a living on their land.
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The population of India has just passed that of China, however India’s per capita CO2 emissions are only 25% of those of China.
Therefore expect a massive increase in the usage of Coal in India as it plays catch up with economic development to match China.
The plants of this planet will be rejoicing with all this extra plant food.
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China has the greatest number of coal-fired power stations of any country or territory in the world. As of July 2023, there were 1,142 operational coal power plants on the Chinese Mainland. This was more than four times the number of such power stations in India, which ranked second.
China is permitting two new coal fired power stations EVERY WEEK!
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And I read some idiot claiming the other day that China is ONLY replacing old Coal Power Stations, not adding to their capacity…:-)
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This map of the international coal trade illustrates how Australia and Indonesia dominate the international trade in coal
https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-the-global-coal-trade/
Australian coal is of a higher quality than Indonesian coal
The benchmark grade of Indonesian thermal coal – with a calorific value of 4,200 kilocalories per kilogram (kcal/g) – has averaged around $65 a ton so far in 2023, according to LSEG. That compares to an average $184 per ton for the roughly 6,200 kcal/kg coal shipped from Newcastle in Australia.9 Nov 2023
Funny how the useful idiots in Canberra are only prepared to ban the use of Coal in Australia – but love the money that the export of coal brings for the budget allowing more spending
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And EVs increase the demand for coal generated electrons.
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In terms of CO2 emissions (not that they matter) EVs likely produce more CO2 than ICE vehicles because it is more efficient to turn fuel into motive force directly as in an ICE car, rather than with an EV where fuel has to burned, transformed to electricity with losses, transferred over power lines with losses, used to charge batteries with losses then discharged from batteries with losses.
But it’s all good. We thank EVs for their CO2 contribution as we came close to a mass extinction event had CO2 continued to drop to 200ppm or lower at which plant life starts to die.
Let’s hope EVs help push CO2 to a far more appropriate 800-1000ppm.
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Not being critical, but that is not correct !
Its not easy to do a direct comparason ,..coal generation vs petrol etc, but..using diesel….
If you burn 1 litre of diesel in a modern car you should travel about 15 kms ( 6ltr/100km)
If you use that diesel in a CCGT generator plant, it would produce approx 6.5 kWh of electricity ,.(11 kWh/ ltr X 60% efficiency)
Allowing for 10% losses between generator and wall charger, that would give 6kWh into the battery.
Most EV cars use under 0.2kWh per km,, but even at that level the EV will travel 30 km..
..twice the distance of the ICE on the same amount of fuel !
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Without any dangerous SLR since 1900 you have to wonder what their evidence is of co2 driven climate change?
Willis Eschenbach checked Hansen’s claims about SL change and found the same changes since 1900 and particularly from the late 1930s to 1960.
Daniel Fitzhenry also told Andrew Bolt of increases and decreases in SLs at Fort Denison since 1914 using the BOM SL data.
Anyway there are many studies showing much higher sea levels during the warmer Holocene optimum for thousands of years.
And the previous Eemian inter-glacial was much warmer than the Holocene and SLs were many metres higher as well.
Here’s Willis’ response to Dr Hansen’s claims in an earlier article.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/05/22/changes-in-the-rate-of-sea-level-rise/
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With India already receiving more Australia’s coking coal than any other destination, the next biggest competitor for meeting India’s needs is the US, which has only exported 6.3 million mt to the subcontinent over the past four quarters, compared to 49.8 million mt from Australia, according to S&P Global data.
A free trade agreement between Australia and India signed in December 2022 will ensure Australian coking coal is preferred over the US because it incurs no duties, while the US will be supplying a European market weaning itself off Russian energy sources.
Coal accounts for 74% of Australia’s overall exports to India, of which 71.4% is coking coal, according to India’s government.
Expect to see more cars made in India on Australia roads.
After India, Maruti Suzuki has launched the Jimny SUV in Australia too. The carmaker has launched the Jimny five-door model, called Jimny XL, down under at a price of AUD 34,990.
With so many Indians now coming into Australia under Labor’s immigration policy, there will be a big demand for cars made in India!!!
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I didn’t realise Jimny’s were made in India. Thanks for that info.
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In September, Suzuki claimed it held more than 1500 pre-orders for the five-door Jimny XL, which will be produced for Australia in India – rather than Japan as with the locally-delivered three-door Jimny.
The Suzuki Jimny XL will be powered by the same non-turbo 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from its three-door sibling, mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission and a part-time four-wheel-drive system.
A very popular car at an affordable price – unlike EVs that Chrissy Bowen is trying to force Australians to buy!!
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Fortunately Ken Stewart has provided the evidence for a much warmer early Holocene and many SL studies around Australia during the Holocene optimum.
He calls his article the “world’s biggest thermometer” and our temperatures today are much lower than the early Holocene and SLs then were at least 1.5 metres higher.
Even their ABC stated that SLs were 1.5 metres higher 4,000 years ago.
https://kenskingdom.wordpress.com/2021/08/23/the-worlds-biggest-thermometer/
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“Global” temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are 1.5C higher than in the Southern.
Has this 1.5C increase caused any of the dangers the corrupt United Nnations is warning us of?
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Australia sacrifices car making to appease the Climate Gods.
Remember when Australia used to make Ford Falcons and Holdens?
Handing over energy intensive car manufacturing to others helped Australia to reduce its CO2 emissions by 7% over the last decade. Aluminium smelting should be the next to go (uses 10% of electricity production).
Now we are remanufacturing (right hand drive conversions) large gas guzzling American made pick-up trucks like the Ford F150 that appeal to Australian alpha males, while Australian beta males buy Telsas made in China
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Aluminum production was set up in Australia due to access to cheap reliable energy. Now the only reason it survives is taxpayer subsidies plus an extra subsidy is payable so that the smelters can be “load shed” to save the grid when there is no wind and/or sun.
E.g.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/alcoa-s-struggling-portland-smelter-secures-future-with-power-deal-160m-in-subsidies-20210319-p57c5o.html
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/adelaide-melbourne-sweat-in-extreme-heat-customers-ask-to-cut-energy-use-20190124-h1afyc
And Leftists are so stupid they don’t even understand how aluminium is made. There is a reason it’s called “congealed electricity”.
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Preaching to the choir here CO2 Lover. Not only has there been a huge increase in the US style pickups, there are now more German type 4 door sedans ( BMW’s, Audis) on the roads and a lot are V8’s. So, in effect, a Commodore V8 except 2-3 times the price. That for me is the biggest shame, because Australia should have been able to maintain a smaller manufacturing base using cheap energy prices. We could have been the powerhouse of the Southern Hemisphere. We’re governed by idiots. Ross- Global Boiling Denier.
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I have a 64.5 Mustang V8 and it runs just like new after nearly 60 years.
How many Teslas will still be on the road after 10 years let alone 60!
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And your Mustang is repairable without a factory computer and it can’t be monitored or remote controlled by Big Brother to lock you inside to deliver you to the nearest re-education or slave labor camp. Keep it.
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95% of spare parts a readily availble on the internet and from local mustang parts suppliers – It should still be on the road for another 50 years – unless all ICE cars are banned by a government subserviant to the corrupt UN and WEF
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And our Government, as with all Western Governments, is dominated by weak, pathetic, feminised beta males.
The last major Western country to be led by an Alpha male was the US under Trump and look what they did to him, and his country.
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I do not think anyone would call Putin a “beta male”. The Russians love him!
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I wouldnt call Russia a western country – given it extends all the way to the far east
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I have three Japanese made diesel vehicles – far better than the “gas Guzzlers” or the woke Teslas. Lets hope they don’t ban diesel next. I also have a Korean made diesel generator for when we get load shedding (it used to be for when there were bushfires)! I am stock piling diesel fuel – just in case.
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Have you tried Fuel Polishing?
It’s the process of cleaning current generator fuel. This process draws the fuel from the generator tank, through a filter system, and back into the tank. This filter system constantly circulates the fuel through the filter to purify it from common contaminants such as water, bacteria, sludge, and rust.
Since fuel that stands still for a long time is more vulnerable to microbial build-up, polishing is especially important for infrequently used equipment (i.e. most generators).
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..and Toyotas, Mitsubishi, NISSAN, Leyland, etc etc.!
Also, back in 2006, Australia had a technology leading EV version of the Holden Commodore !…
That was all lost when Holden shut up shop.🥲 🤬
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And Australia once assembled many cars, including the Mercedes Benz 220S in the early 1960’s. (Only mentioning the 220S because that has a certain interest for me.)
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Not forgetting (Chrysler) Valiant. Number three of ‘the big three’.
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Here’s Andrew Bolt’s interview with Hydrographic surveyor Daniel Fitzhenry and he explains how SLs have gone up and down since 1914.
Very difficult to see any dangerous co2 forcing over that long period of time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjOmsqIibk
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This graph also shows the hypocracy of environmentally woke countries like Australia seemingly having no problems with exporting lots of their nasty polluting coal to go ahead countries like China. China’s best asset in this regard is our own woke climate hypocracy enabler, energy minister Chris Bowen.
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Queensland alone exports more than twice as much coal as Australia uses.
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Like the old idiom – “you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs”
You cannot make wind turbines and solar panels without burning coal – thank you China.
Wind turbines, solar panels and batteries are primarily reconstituted fossil fuels. The single largest component of any metal is the energy that went into extracting, transporting and treating ore to feed a smelter that convert the concentrate to metal using a humungous amount of coal derived energy
The really sad part is that none of the weather energy extractors being made can extract more energy than it took to make them. So the world is slowly disappearing into its own clacker. China is happy to play the game until they run low on coal. Then they will have to stop making useless stuff for the west and pivot to sending rockets to subdue the west to gain access to the coal reserves they have encouraged the west to leave in the ground for their use.
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Isn’t it good that with all the countries burning coal Australia is cutting back to net zero emissions and economic prosperity to save the planet.
sarc.
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And countries like China, India and Indonesia are laughing at us for our stupidity, which is to their benefit.
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Also in Indonesia
The Teluk Sepang power plant – funded by Chinese state-owned energy giant PowerChina and local firm Intraco Penta, operated by Tenaga Listrik Bengkulu (TLB) – is part of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s ambition to achieve 35,000 MW of electricity generation. As of last year, nearly 50% of the targeted capacity had already been commissioned.
This number will continue to increase, largely from industrial captive coal power plants financed by China. China’s investment continues to grow, reaching $4.8 billion in 2020 and $5.18 billion in 2022, with 86% of the investment going into the construction of coal power plants.
Is Indonesia spenting $384 Billion on manned nuclear subs to counter the “threat of China” – like Australia???????
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I am currently at Sydney Airport and suffering from Australia’s coalphobia.
They have the temperature set uncomfortably hot, I assume in accordance with the Premier’s request not to be selfish by using too much electricity.
This is how rationing begins.
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My wife and I recently stayed at Meriton Appartments at Bondi Juction in Sydney which had a fabulous view over Sydney Harbour.
The only problem was that the airconditioning thermostat in the Room had a lower limit of 20C – when 18C is recommended for a good nights sleep.
Our stay was ruined by a sleepless night and we had a long drive the next day.
This is also how rationing begins.
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🙄…wow ! ..a classic “first world” problem 😳😱
If you cannot sleep in 20C , you may want to reconsider your country of residence !
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I really hope there is a legal remedy we can use against the politicians, their fellow travellers in the media, the bent and broken scientists and the profiteers who are destroying Australia. Bowen will be first on the list.
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I wonder if Bonehead Bowen realises that, as time goes on, and the world’s use of coal increases, the amount of coal used by Australia decreases, percentage wise.
Of course, if we don’t have nukes, then our usage will increase too, because renewables won’t work!
I wonder, also, if the idiot is calculating the amount of replacements that has to be built, as well as the new ones.
I’m thinking it is a Ponzi scheme. The income from the new ones will be spent on replacement, so the price can never go down.
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