Coal is considered to be the worst of all fossil fuels.

For the same amount of energy, it emits:

  • more CO2
  • other pollutants in its toxic smoke


Coal is commonly used for:

  • generating electricity - (see stats)From Key World Energy Statistics 2020 (IEA report):

    • 38.2% of the world's electricity is generated by coal.

    • 27.5% of the USA's electricity is generated from coal.

    • 26.9% of the world's total energy supply(...)( all energy sources, including fuels regardless of whether they're used for electricity or not ) is from coal.
  • generating heat needed in some forms of manufacturing


Mining for coal can also involve major ecological destruction, such as mountain top removal.

See also