AS reported on Tuesday, the Philippines has become a global standout, and not exactly in a good way, in terms of its use of coal for electricity generation. According to a study released on Monday by the energy think tank Ember, the Philippines' share of coal in its energy mix rose significantly between 2022 and 2023, putting it ahead of China and Indonesia in terms of coal reliance and among the top 10 countries in the world. Naturally, this news is alarming on several levels, but in order to act on it effectively, we must understand the context of the Philippines' energy space.

According to the report, and verified by Department of Energy (DoE) data, the proportion of coal in the Philippines' energy mix rose from 59.07 percent in 2022 to 61.92 percent in 2023. This surpassed both China and Indonesia, whose coal dependence in 2023 was 59 percent and 61.8 percent, respectively, though both countries are ahead of the Philippines in terms of the volume of coal used for power generation.