China is stepping up the construction of coal-fired power stations and has ordered an extra 300 million tonnes of the fossil fuel to be mined every year as it apparently contradicts its own climate change commitments.
Beijing approved the construction of 8.63 gigawatts (GW) of coal power in the first quarter of this year, nearly half the amount seen all last year, according to a report from Greenpeace East Asia. [bold, links added]
President Xi last year committed to phasing down coal use from 2026 to tackle China’s position as the world’s biggest emitter by volume of greenhouse gases.
However, climate experts are concerned those targets are undermined by a government focused on economic challenges.
The approval for coal-fired power gathered momentum in the fourth quarter of last year after China began suffering nationwide power shortages, Greenpeace said.
As a result, 11 GW of capacity was approved in the last quarter, from a total of 18.55 GW last year. That momentum has continued into this year, the group said.
China relies on coal for about 60 percent of its electricity and has asked domestic miners to increase capacity by 300 million tonnes this year.
Electricity consumption has surged this summer as China suffers an intense heatwave, with air conditioning cranked up at homes and businesses.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, announced 10 billion yuan (£1.2 billion) of investment in coal power generation in May, as coal producers were pressed to ramp up output.
Read more at The Times
Remember when China were the heroes of the Paris Accord and President Trump was the zero?
Most of us knew it was a farce, and the MSM won’t point out the obvious today, because they knew it at the time, too. They are complicit in the sabotage of Capitalism by the environmental – socialist tag team. What’s happening and what’s missing is there in broad daylight for anyone who cares to look. Our prosperity is bleeding away.
If they are buying from the West it will be a joke doing the whole Net Zero farce. Australia continues down the road of stifling new laws, fines and penalties plus huge governmental over reach into privacy. Not to mention the absurd “public servant” numbers. The whole structure will collapse in on its self and all the while destroying small and medium businesses and the now almost defunct manufacturing sector by ever increasing power costs and reliability. But of course it is always ok to sell coal to China, India, etc but we can’t use it. Can’t have Victoria opening up the vast natural gas fields nor use the best uranium in the world here in Oz!
The Saharan green belt will probably move another thirty kilometers north.
So is Greenpeace going over to China and try and shut down their coalmines? after they ruined the Nazca Plain in Peru with their Renewibles Message right next to the Giant Hummingbird? Screw You Greenpeace
Greenpeace has gotten themselves in big trouble in Peru when they messed or the Nazca Plains with their Renewible Message by the Giant Hummingbird and they still sail all over the world in their Fossil Fueled Ships
I didn’t know that China was located on a different planet. One would think so when everything China does on energy use seems to be okay with the liberals while those of us in the west are expected to give up our cars and private homes. The article above is about China buying more coal but they are also building new power plants at an incredible rate. These plants have a useful life of 40 years. The Chinese are too smart to let that capacity go to waste so we can be sure these plants will be used for decades.
China is the bully of the planet. No other country can match them for shocking ruthless bad and disrespectful behaviour towards other countries, HOWEVER – on this subject, they are smart. What is wrong with western leadership? The way I see it, they are brain-dead from the knees up.