There used to be an annual report from British Petroleum called the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Then they passed it off to an independent group called the Energy Institute who now look after compiling the annual Statistical Review. In former days the report would describe growth in energy production and consumption as if it was a good thing. Now the report is full of hand-wringing about carbon this and climate that but, fortunately, it still provides the raw data, so if you’re an old-fashioned sort who thinks people having access to more and more energy is a good thing, you can #lookup the full story. Including the part where they say, referring to 2023 “Global primary energy consumption reached a new record for the second consecutive year with non-OECD countries dominating both the share and annual growth rates. Fossil fuels continue to underpin their development accounting for 84% of their energy mix.”

The global mix of energy consumption in 2023 looked like this:

So clearly, and despite all the money and propaganda being thrown at unreliable renewables, people had the good sense to rely mostly on the stuff that works.

The graphs are very colourful, except for the coal one which is sombre black and gray:

Boo coal. Well, except for the part about it providing poor people with reliable and inexpensive electricity. Because of which, and once again despite all the talk about a Net Zero energy transition, coal remains king:

“In 2023, global coal production reached its highest ever level (179 EJ), beating the previous high set the year before. The Asia Pacific region accounted for nearly 80% of global output with activity concentrated in just four countries, Australia, China, India, and Indonesia (jointly responsible for 97% of the region’s output). China alone was responsible for just over half of total global production.”

So boo China? Evidently not; instead “China plays key role on climate change, may be looked to for additional leadership, COP30 president says”. So boo Trump or something.

Especially as the U.S. president is in favour of developing America’s oil resources and, as that chart shows, oil is not being left behind globally:

“Consumption of oil exceeded 100 million barrels of oil per day (mbpd) for the first time ever. Gasoline, diesel and kerosene (aviation) use are trending back to or beyond their 2019 levels, but within the data sets there are some national/regional differences. Whilst global gasoline consumption (25 mbpd) was just above its 2019 pre-COVID level, kerosene, although growing strongly (17.5% in 2023), has yet to return to its 2019 peak.”

So next time you want to find out what is really going on in the world of energy, as opposed to the fantasy land of an unstoppable, cheaper-and-reliable energy transition and Net Zero, you can #Lookitup.