Coal Consumption

Data, Graphs, and Maps

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Science, Geography, Mathematics

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Our World in Data

Open Resource

What it is

This resource includes an interactive map and graphs that show the quantity of coal consumed (measured in Terawatt-hours) in countries around the world since 1900.
It includes commercial solid fuels only: bituminous coal, anthracite (hard coal), lignite, brown (sub-bituminous) coal, and other commercial solid fuels.
The data excludes coal converted to liquid or gaseous fuels but includes coal consumed in transformation processes.

Teaching tips

Positives

The interactive provides three different ways for students to explore data (chart, map, table). Students may choose to view datasets for various geographic locations and time periods.
Related research and data are linked.
The site explains how the data was collected.

Prerequisites

Learners need to be familiar with different sources of energy.
Educator would need time to get familiar with this interactive media and decide on how to implement it with the learners.

Differentiation & Implementation

There are other related interactive maps for other sources of energy.
Can be used to create awareness about one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Middle school teachers can use this resource in combination with the Combating Coal Ash Lesson.

From the scientist review

Data from China showed a steady rise in coal consumption for energy. This is as a result of intense coal mining activities. No threshold is set, but there is marked increase from 2002-2007 and 2010-2013. Students can explore China and other countries they select to understand these changes. This resource is suitable for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Science, Geography, Mathematics
Other types: Interactive Media
Format: Microsoft Excel
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: Our World in Data
Authors: Hannah Ritchie, Max Roser
Published: July 20, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Geo.4.6-8 + 6 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Geo.4.6-8Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
D4.6.6-8Draw on multiple disciplinary lenses to analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
D2.Geo.1.9-12Use geospatial and related technologies to create maps to display and explain the spatial patterns of cultural and environmental characteristics.
D2.Geo.9.9-12Evaluate the influence of long-term climate variability on human migration and settlement patterns, resource use, and land uses at local-to-global scales.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-5.Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

Mathematics

HSS.IC.B.6(+)Evaluate reports based on data (e.g., interrogate study design, data sources, randomization, the way the data are analyzed and displayed, inferences drawn and methods used; identify and explain misleading uses of data; recognize when arguments based on data are flawed).

Social Studies

6.1.12.GeoHE.16.a:Explain why natural resources (i.e., fossil fuels, food, and water) continue to be a source of conflict and analyze how the United States and other nations have addressed issues concerning the distribution and sustainability of natural resources and climate change.

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What it is

Teaching tips

From the scientist review

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