Five charts to start your day

The world is still addicted to oil

From my balcony in Otranto here on holiday, I’m enjoying my morning coffee made in a moka and a croissant that I bought locally. But here’s a sobering thought: the coffee machine, the oven, and the fertilisers used to grow the ingredients for my breakfast all depend on oil.

Despite the push for greener energy, traditional fossil fuels still dominate because we built our entire economy on fossil fuel infrastructure. The Energy Institute's 2024 report shows that coal, oil, and gas make up 81 percent of global energy use.

Nevertheless, there is a transition underway. Our global economy will slowly move towards renewable and other clean energy sources in the decades to come. It will be a slow transition and one that might not be complete in my lifetime. However, there is also real economic force and investment being made into this energy transition, creating some odd contradictions.

China is a good example. It leads in wind and solar power but also uses a lot of coal and is opening new mines despite global efforts to reduce coal use. India is also heavily reliant on coal, using more than North America and Europe combined. However, it also boasts one of the most ambitious and aggressive clean energy programmes in the world.

When looking at energy use per person, countries rich in resources or with extreme climates use the most. Qatar, with its natural gas, tops the list, while Iceland relies almost entirely on renewables but has high energy use due to its industries.

Carbon emissions reflect this reliance on fossil fuels. Asia Pacific, especially China, leads in global emissions. While some Asian countries are reducing their carbon output, overall emissions in the region are still rising.

Source: Visual Capitalist

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