Coal

Energy Mix

27% of world 🌎 (#2 resource)
10% of US 🇺🇸 (#3 resource)

Electricity Generation

35% of world 🌎 (#1 resource)
20% of US 🇺🇸 (#2 resource)

Global Coal Use

Electricity: 68%
Heat: 20%
Steel making: 13%

Change in Global Consumption

Increase:
⬆4%
(2017-2022)

Coal Use is the Biggest Contributor to Global GHG Emissions From Energy*

43% of world 🌎
20% of US 🇺🇸
GHG emissions from energy (includes methane leakage)

Coal seams contain methane, which is released when the coal is mined. Coal Mine Methane (CMM) represented more than 10% of total methane emissions from human activity in 2022.

(Visit our Natural Gas page for more information on methane leakage.)

_{*Energy GHG emissions are ~75% of global GHG emissions}

Coal Use is a Major Contributor to Outdoor Air Pollution

Coal combustion emits numerous hazardous air pollutants that impact human health and the environment.

Particulate matter contributes to human health impacts like asthma and respiratory illness. Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) emissions pose the greatest risk. And PM2.5 from coal may be twice as deadly as PM2.5 from other sources, according to a recent study by Harvard’s School of Public Health and others.

Nitrous oxides (NOx) contribute to asthma, respiratory tract damage, and lung disease, and can lead to ozone which is harmful to human health.

Sulfur oxides (SOx) can harm the human respiratory system and can also cause acid rain.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) can cause acid rain.

Heavy metal (e.g., mercury and lead) toxicity can cause birth defects and damage the functioning of the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, and blood composition. Simultaneous exposure to two or more heavy metals may have cumulative effects.

Largest Proved Reserves

US 22% 🇺🇸

Largest Producer

China 52% 🇨🇳

Largest Consumer

China 55% 🇨🇳

Largest Proved Reserves

Wyoming 35%

Largest Producer

Wyoming 41%

Largest Consumer

Texas 12%

Amount Traded

16%
of global consumption

Largest Exporters

Indonesia 34% 🇮🇩
Australia 25% 🇦🇺

Largest Importer

China 22% 🇨🇳

Change in Global Trade

Increase:
⬆6%
(2017-2022)

Drivers

• Abundant
• Relatively low private costs (but note that high social and environmental costs are not factored into the price)
• Easy to store
• Sunk cost of infrastructure
• Historical dependence of some communities on coal industry
• Domestic availability of coal

Barriers

• Many externalities: air pollution, methane leakage, CO₂ emissions, heavy metals (e.g., mercury), coal dust, coal ash, water contamination, high water use, land subsidence
• Health and safety of mine workers; public health impacts on local communities
• Regulations are increasing
• New and existing coal plants are no longer cost competitive in many major markets
• Coal-fired power plants are inflexible, making it hard to integrate with increasing renewables
• Bankruptcy plaguing the US coal mining industry
• Legacy issues such as abandoned mines and leftover coal ash that require ongoing treatment and management

Climate Impact: High

• The most carbon-intensive energy source
• Escaping coal bed methane is also a potent greenhouse gas

Environmental Impact: High

• Combustion releases air pollutants (e.g., mercury, PM2.5, NOx, SO₂)
• Extraction/mining and coal ash harm landscapes and water quality
• Surface mining and mountaintop removal are particularly damaging

Updated April 2024