US coal ‘biggest contributor by far’ to rise in global emissions

A DRAMATIC increase in US coal consumption was “by far the biggest contributor” to the overall increase in global CO2 emissions last year, a report has revealed.

According to the Energy Institute’s latest Statistical Review of World Energy, US coal consumption increased by 10% in 2025, compared to a 0.7% rise globally. The review’s chief Selene Law told reporters last week that the growth in US coal “is the main reason why we have seen global CO2 emissions rise this year. In fact, the US is by far the biggest contributor to this.” 

The rise in coal use was largely driven by the growth of data centres. Last year, US energy secretary Chris Wright said coal would be “essential” to “winning the AI race”, while Law added that “data centre power demand is really driving the gas prices up in the US so it is likely that this huge surge for coal demand will continue”. The Energy Institute’s analysis did not cover the period following the US-led attacks on Iran, during which oil and gas prices have frequently surged above $100/bbl. 

The US was responsible for more than a third of the global increase in CO2 emissions last year, up 1.1% from 2024, and accounted for more than the remaining OECD countries combined. The increase in US emissions was four times greater than that of China, which remained largely unchanged from 2024. The reduction in emissions associated with China’s pivot away from coal-fired power generation was “offset” by its heavily coal-dependent chemicals sector, Law said. 

“Make no mistake: China is still by far the biggest CO2 emitter in the world” in absolute terms, Law stressed.

Trump’s coal agenda

The surge in US coal came amid president Donald Trump’s explicit pro-coal agenda. Before Trump’s inauguration for his second term last January, US coal production had more than halved since 2008, according to Energy Information Administration figures, but an executive order last year pledged $625m to exploit the US’s “beautiful clean coal reserves”. In June this year, Trump announced a $700m federal investment to save 14 existing coal plants and open several new ones.  

The government’s coal plans were dealt a blow last week, however, after a federal appeals court ruled the government did not have authority to order a Michigan coal-fired power station to operate beyond its planned retirement date of May 2025. Under orders from the energy department, operator Consumers Energy spent around $259m keeping the plant open since then, which many now fear will be passed onto bill payers across the state.

Eclipsed by solar

The Energy Institute found that renewables were the fastest growing energy source in 2025. In particular, solar power made significant gains, accounting for 71% of renewables growth, and now matches nuclear in its share of total energy supply. Despite the country’s coal surge, solar has also increased in the US and generated more electricity than coal for the first time in May this year. 

However, fossil fuel use remains “really high” in the global energy mix, Law said, accounting for 86% in 2025 – just 3% lower than around a decade ago.