Is coal’s recent revival in Australia’s energy mix just a blip or something more?

There has been a recent uptick in the use of coal in Australia’s national electricity market. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake for The Guardian

Australia’s electricity sector has long been the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the economy, accounting for more than a third of the national total.

The industry was one of the fastest to cut carbon pollution because of the availability of wind, solar and hydro power as alternatives to burning coal and gas – until lately.