Sylvie Willis
Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, have been the dominant energy source globally since the Industrial Revolution. In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for 82% of the global energy mix, with oil and coal making up a third and a quarter of the world's energy consumption, respectively. This has remained relatively stable since 2019, when fossil fuels made up over 80% of the world's energy sources. While the types of fossil fuels have shifted from solely coal towards a combination with oil and gas, consumption has increased significantly over the past few centuries, doubling since 1980. The burning of fossil fuels has severe environmental and health impacts, contributing to global climate change and accounting for around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of global energy from fossil fuels in 2023 | 82% |
| Percentage of global energy from fossil fuels in 2019 | 80-84% |
| Percentage of US energy from fossil fuels in 2023 | 60% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from coal in 2019 | 27% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from oil in 2019 | 33% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from natural gas in 2019 | 24% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from hydropower in 2019 | 6% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from renewables in 2019 | 5% |
| Percentage of fossil fuel energy from nuclear power in 2019 | 4% |
| Largest consumer of fossil fuels | China |
| Largest decline in fossil fuel consumption | US and Germany |
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What You'll Learn
Fossil fuels' contribution to climate change
Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, have been a dominant energy source for most of human history since the Industrial Revolution. In 2023, fossil fuels comprised about 60% of the energy generated in the United States and 82% of the global energy mix. Fossil fuel consumption has increased significantly over the past decades, with oil and gas continuing to grow quickly.
The burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, leading to global warming and climate change. The increase in fossil fuel consumption has resulted in rising CO2 emissions, with a record high of 40 gigatonnes in 2023. Fossil fuels are the largest driver of global climate change, and their burning has led to an average global temperature increase of 1°C, surpassing the critical 1.5°C milestone in 2024.
The impact of climate change due to fossil fuel usage is widespread and severe. It includes rising sea levels, extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves, biodiversity loss, species extinction, food scarcity, and worsening health and poverty for millions worldwide. Climate change is also causing water scarcity, agricultural droughts, and ecological droughts, increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems and threatening the survival of species on land and in the ocean.
To mitigate the impact of climate change, a transition to low-carbon energy sources is necessary. While renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are becoming more prevalent, fossil fuel consumption remains high. Global efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce carbon emissions, but more needs to be done to limit the impact of climate change. The International Energy Agency has stated that there should be no new oil, gas, and coal projects to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, investments in clean energy technologies and infrastructure are crucial in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the environmental injustice caused by fossil fuel production.
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The Industrial Revolution's impact on fossil fuel use
The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain in the 1700s, marked a turning point in human history, as societies transitioned from agrarian to industrial economies. This period saw the advent of manufacturing based on heavy industrial machinery, which required new energy sources to improve efficiency and output. Thus, fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—became the primary energy source for the first time in human history.
The burning of fossil fuels for energy began during the Industrial Revolution, and it has had a profound impact on the world's energy systems and the environment. Fossil fuels have played a dominant role in driving technological, social, and economic progress. They have enabled unprecedented growth in the global economy, per capita income, and energy usage. For example, the world's economy grew fourteen-fold in the twentieth century, per capita income grew nearly four-fold, and energy usage increased at least thirteen-fold. The global population has also increased tenfold since 1700, from 670 million to 6.7 billion in 2011, supported by the increased energy usage.
However, the large-scale use of fossil fuels has had severe environmental consequences, which were not fully understood until many years after the Industrial Revolution began. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, which are the largest driver of global climate change. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of a dramatic rise in greenhouse gas emissions, and over the entire industrial era, approximately 2.3 trillion tonnes of CO2 was released into the atmosphere. This has led to a significant increase in global temperatures, with studies showing a rise of about 1.1°C to over 0.3°C since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Additionally, the focus on productivity and economic growth during the Industrial Revolution came at the expense of environmental sustainability, setting in motion a pattern of unchecked resource exploitation that continues today. Fossil fuels are also a major contributor to local air pollution, which is estimated to cause millions of premature deaths each year. As a result, there is a growing need to transition to low-carbon energy sources, such as nuclear and renewable options.
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The most polluting fossil fuels
Fossil fuels have been a fundamental driver of technological, social, and economic progress. They have played, and continue to play, a dominant role in global energy systems. However, burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, causing global warming. In 2018, 89% of global CO2 emissions came from fossil fuels and industry. Fossil fuels are also a major contributor to local air pollution, which is estimated to cause millions of premature deaths each year.
There are three types of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal is the most polluting energy source, producing the most CO2 and local air pollution per unit of energy. It is also the single-largest source of carbon emissions, responsible for over 0.3 degrees Celsius of the 1.2 degrees Celsius increase in global average temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Oil releases a huge amount of carbon when burned, accounting for approximately a third of the world's total carbon emissions. Oil spills have also had a devastating impact on ocean ecosystems.
Natural gas is often promoted as a cleaner energy source than coal and oil. However, it is still a fossil fuel, accounting for a fifth of the world's total carbon emissions. The production and use of natural gas can also contribute to air and water pollution.
The burning of fossil fuels for energy began around the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel consumption has increased significantly over the past few centuries, with global consumption reaching a historic high in 2023. Coal, oil, and natural gas comprised 82% of the global energy mix that year. While coal consumption is falling in many parts of the world, oil and gas consumption continue to grow.
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Fossil fuel consumption by country
Fossil fuels—oil, coal, and gas—remain the most widely used energy source worldwide, despite the increasing popularity of renewable energy. In 2017, 81% of the world's energy consumption came from these fuels, a figure that decreased only slightly to 81.5% in 2022. In 2023, fossil fuel consumption reached a new record high, driven by increased coal and oil use in China. China and the US are together responsible for almost half (47%) of global fossil fuel consumption. In 2023, China consumed 140 exajoules of fossil fuels, the US consumed 76 exajoules, and India was third with 35 exajoules.
The US is the largest oil consumer, with over 19.1 million barrels per day in 2022, and 32.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. China, the second-largest oil consumer, is the largest coal consumer, accounting for 56% of global consumption in 2023. Russia is one of the most prominent players in the oil market, producing roughly 11.28% of the world's oil in 2021, and consuming 3.67 million barrels daily in the same year.
Other countries with notable fossil fuel consumption include Japan, which was the fifth-largest consumer in 2022, and South Korea, which was the seventh-largest in 2022. Japan consumed over 151 million metric tons of oil and imported 180.3 million tons of coal in 2022. Oil is the primary energy source in Korea, which imported 960 million barrels of crude oil in 2021, along with 126 million tons of coal. Germany is also a heavy consumer of fossil fuels, having consumed over 2 million barrels of oil per day and 2.3 exajoules of coal in 2022.
Canada, which heavily depends on oil, consumed upwards of 98 million metric tons of oil in 2022, along with 390 petajoules of coal and 101 billion cubic meters of gas. While Canada has made efforts to meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, it is one of the leading countries in leveraging cleaner energy sources. Similarly, South Korea has set a target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 by shifting away from coal power consumption, which currently accounts for 40% of its energy mix.
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Transitioning to renewable energy
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) have played a dominant role in global energy systems since the Industrial Revolution. In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for 82% of the global energy mix, with coal, oil, and natural gas comprising the majority of this figure. Oil and coal alone accounted for a third and a quarter of the world's energy consumption, respectively.
However, burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and is the largest driver of global climate change. As such, countries around the world are exploring ways to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower. While transitioning to renewable energy is not a simple task, and it faces many multifaceted challenges, there are several ways to accelerate this process.
Firstly, to successfully phase out fossil fuels, there needs to be enough clean electricity available to ensure that power can continue to flow to homes and businesses. This can be achieved through the adoption of various technologies and solutions to convert renewable energy sources into electricity. For example, offshore wind farms have the potential to generate huge volumes of electricity, and by 2030, the North Sea alone could provide up to 120GW of offshore wind generation, enough to power over 120 million homes.
Secondly, global cooperation and coordination are critical to expanding and diversifying manufacturing capacity for renewable energy components and raw materials. Greater investments are needed to ensure a just transition, including investments in skills training, research and innovation, and the development of sustainable supply chains.
Thirdly, funding for renewable energy technologies is available, but there is a need for commitment and accountability from global financial systems, including multilateral development banks and other public and financial institutions, to align their lending portfolios with accelerating the renewable energy transition.
Finally, to make renewable energy a global public good, roadblocks to knowledge sharing and technological transfer, including intellectual property rights barriers, must be removed. Additionally, clear and robust policies, transparent processes, public support, and the availability of modern energy transmission systems are key to accelerating the uptake of wind and solar energy technologies.
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Frequently asked questions
Fossil fuels account for over 80% of the world's energy sources. In 2023, fossil fuels comprised 82% of the global energy mix, with coal, oil, and natural gas making up the majority of this.
In 2023, about 60% of the electricity generated in the US was from fossil fuels.
The amount of energy from fossil fuels consumed per person varies greatly from country to country. In general, the amount of fossil fuel energy consumed is strongly correlated with a country's population size.
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