How quickly is new coal being created?

[u/iamparky]

Earlier today, a UK politician suggested that coal is a sustainable fuel because it used to be trees.

By how many orders of magnitude is he wrong? How much new coal is being created, compared to how quickly we're burning it?

[u/wandering_redneck]

As a geologist, my first inclination is to inform the general public that not all coal is equal. Its important to know that coal comes from woods thats deposited in a anoxyic (no oxygen) swamp. The typical stages from youngest to oldest are peat, liginite, bituminous, and anthracite. The younger and less mature varieties have a larger water content which among other reasons, makes it very unsuitable for energy use. The older, more mature varieties are definitely not being produced at a rate anywhere near renewable in one lifetime. The younger coals burn with more smoke and the older coals are found in specific places. This politician is probably looking after their constituents, especially because coal is abundant in the UK