'Boom and bust': Are coal and oil on the brink of permanent decline?

Cecilia Keating
clock • 9 min read
'Boom and bust': Are coal and oil on the brink of permanent decline?

Two reports out this week have highlighted how developments across 2021 are set to catalyse policy and technological trends that could catalyse the retreat of fossil fuels across the global energy system

At times the fossil fuel economy can seem indefatigable. The latest figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) have highlighted how greenhouse gas emissions were higher than ever before in 2021,...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

Cecilia Keating
Author spotlight

Cecilia Keating

View profile
More from Cecilia Keating

We need the transition to a low-carbon economy to reverse historic injustices

Why the Women in Green Business Awards is more important than ever

More on Energy

Iran war: How wind and solar are saving the UK millions of pounds a day in fossil fuel costs
Energy

Iran war: How wind and solar are saving the UK millions of pounds a day in fossil fuel costs

Growing clean energy capacity means Britain is now better prepared for price spikes triggered by Iran war than it was for those sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, new analysis claims

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 09 April 2026 • 7 min read
Defra plots faster planning process for Sizewell C nuclear plant and Teesside SAF refinery
Energy

Defra plots faster planning process for Sizewell C nuclear plant and Teesside SAF refinery

Planning decisions for major clean energy projects to be accelerated by appointment of Environment Agency as single lead environmental regulator, according to Defra

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 08 April 2026 • 5 min read
IEA: $60bn of investment needed to diversify global rare earth supply chains
Energy

IEA: $60bn of investment needed to diversify global rare earth supply chains

International Energy Agency warns that China's continued dominance of rare earth material supply chains is putting up to $6.5tr of global economic activity at risk every year

Michael Holder
Michael Holder
clock 08 April 2026 • 5 min read