Forecasts for global coal demand, made by the IEA in 2011 through 2017 (blue lines), compared to data on actual use (red), in millions of tonnes of coal equivalent. (rapidshift.net)
In fact, the world will burn around 1.2 billion more tonnes of coal per year by 2017 compared to today — equivalent to the current coal consumption of Russia and the United States combined. (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)
Global coal consumption, which is measured in in tonnes of coal equivalent — the industry standard to reflect energy content rather than physical weight — will reach 6.2 billion tonnes in 2017, up from 5.3 billion in 2011. (reneweconomy.com.au)