Coal use will decline sharply in the next 30 years

According to the World Bank, the world's dependence on energy sources such as oil and coal, one of the main culprits of pollution, is decreasing.

“The model is coal and renewable energy, the model can be gas and renewable energy. I think in 10, 12 years we will see renewable energy sources and nothing more, ”Riccardo Puliti, the head of the global energy sector and extractive companies of the World Bank, told CNBC.

In fact, coal use could plummet in the coming decades, he said, "I think that coal in the next 30 years - we will see it going more and more out of the energy balance."

Despite Pulity's prediction, a report released by China's National Bureau of Statistics earlier this year said coal consumption in 2017 rose 0.7 percent for the first time since 2013, largely due to economic stimulus from the government. In addition, coal continued to be the largest source of energy for China, with more than 60% of its energy mix tested.

Perhaps even more worrisome is the increase in global coal consumption last year after two years of decline, according to data released last month by the International Energy Agency. However, Pulity said he was "very pleased" with China's rhetoric on tackling climate change, he said.

In addition, some countries are actively moving forward in their efforts to tackle pollution and promote cleaner, cleaner technologies, he said, pointing to Europe - with Germany leading wind investment over the past decade. More recently, a German court ruled in favor of allowing cities to ban diesel vehicles that generate significant air pollution.

While some of the world's largest countries are showing promising signs, the adoption of renewable energy remains costly for most countries and industries. Pulity acknowledged that the technology used in alternative forms of energy can be quite costly in the beginning, but the costs quickly decline as the spread increases. He noted, for example, that the price of solar energy falls by 8-10 percent annually.