US fossil fuel consumption is at its lowest in 30 years. Here’s why
Consumption of fossil fuels in the U.S. is falling. Image: Unsplash/ETA+
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- US fossil fuel consumption fell by 9% in 2020, says the Energy Information Administration.
- Coal accounted for 13% of US fossil fuel consumption in 2020, its lowest annual share since 1949.
- Petroleum products were the most-used fossil fuels in the US in 2020. Natural gas, used mostly to generate electricity and heat, took its largest annual share on record.
- While fossil fuel use falls, renewables are continuing to rise to new records.
The use of fossil fuels in the United States hit the lowest level in almost 30 years in 2020. You have to go as far back as 1991 to find a similar level of fossil fuel consumption. The COVID-19 pandemic and warmer weather have driven the decline, according to the United States Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Energy Review.
In 2020, total consumption of fossil fuels in the US, including petroleum, natural gas, and coal, fell by 9%.
Historic fall in fossil fuel consumption
It was the biggest annual fall in US fossil fuel consumption in both absolute and percentage terms since 1949, when the administration first published the annual data series.
“Economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including a 15% decrease in energy consumption in the US transportation sector, drove much of the decline,” the EIA said.
Relatively warmer weather in the US in 2020 also reduced demand for heating fuels.
Fossil fuel drivers
Petroleum products including vehicle fuel and diesel, accounted for 44% of US fossil fuel consumption in 2020. At 68%, transport was the largest consumer of petroleum.
Natural gas accounted for 43% of US fossil fuel usage in 2020, mostly to generate electricity and heat. This is the largest annual share on record, the EIA said.
Coal accounted for 13% of US fossil fuel consumption in 2020, the lowest annual share since 1949.
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Renewables revolution
The amount of fossil fuel consumption used at a global level is also declining and renewables are seeing a surge in demand.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reported in June that renewables were now significantly undercutting fossil fuels as the world’s cheapest source of power.
Another record was set in 2020 for the amount of new renewable energy projects completed. According to IRENA, the world added more than 260 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity last year, exceeding expansion in 2019 by close to 50 per cent.
More needs to be done though. By 2030, the International Energy Agency says global clean energy investment needs to triple to around $4 trillion a year if the world is to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
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