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China accounts for close to 60% of global coal-fired electricity generation and coal-fired power emissions In 2023, China's total emissions of carbon dioxide (

China accounts for close to 60% of global coal-fired electricity generation and coal-fired power emissions In 2023, China's total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal-fired power generation hit 5.56 billion metric tons, an all-time high that was nearly 6% greater than 2022's record. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-may-upend-global-coal-emissions-trends-2024-2024-02-14/ https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-may-upend-...

pixl97 2y ago
Ya and they have 1.2 billion people they are bringing out of poverty while becoming the manufacturing hub of the world. They do realize they need massive amounts of power to keep up the growth. They also realize pollution is a huge problem and that they can't continue to burn coal supplies at their current rate forever.
- aquamar2 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - alwa 2y ago
    Because rural or urban, once people have access to enough energy to rise out of grinding poverty, they tend not to want to return to a precarious, labor-intensive subsistence lifestyle. Especially when their individual share of the resulting pollution is small compared to the degree to which it’s improved their lives. “Declined” growth of 5% this year still means that things there are 5% bigger than they were last year.
  - Aeolun 2y ago
    Are you suggesting they’re polluting for the hell of it?
  - Qwertious 2y ago
    >and their growth has declined to below 5% this year. So they're still growing, then. And presumably southern China is still tropical and in desperate need of air conditioning in summer. In fact it's getting worse due to climate change.
    - seanmcdirmid 2y ago
      They also need heat in the winter. I’ve never been so cold in my life actually, people really take indoor heating for granted.
- fred_is_fred 2y ago
  1.2 billion and falling. For not the change in standard of living pushes consumption net positive, but I wonder about in 20 years or 30?
  - Dylan16807 2y ago
    They're within a tenth of a percent of peak population. It might fall a meaningful amount over time, it might not.
throawayonthe 2y ago
[dead]
whatever1 2y ago
Someone is lying. Either the coal capacity is flat (as the main article of the thread suggests), or the coal-fired emissions are still rising (aka they are still bringing coal-fired capacity online). It wouldn't be the first communist regime that is lying though.
- maxglute 2y ago
  Or someone can't read. No where in article does it state Coal capacity is flat, just coal growth has flattened significantly per 14th five-year plan (2021-2025). PRC peak coal is expected this or next year, and phase down / decline starting 15th five-year plan (2026-2030).
  - whatever1 2y ago
    Check again the graph.
    - maxglute 2y ago
      Coal segment from 2023 to Jun24 is not flat. https://i.imgur.com/Gfm8g2m.png https://i.imgur.com/Gfm8g2m.png It looks flat because that's what adding 8GW to ~1200GW looks like. Adding only 8GW coal is one point article remarks as noteworthy, and the data comports.

pixl97 2y ago

Ya and they have 1.2 billion people they are bringing out of poverty while becoming the manufacturing hub of the world. They do realize they need massive amounts of power to keep up the growth. They also realize pollution is a huge problem and that they can't continue to burn coal supplies at their current rate forever.

aquamar2 2y ago
[flagged]
- alwa 2y ago
  Because rural or urban, once people have access to enough energy to rise out of grinding poverty, they tend not to want to return to a precarious, labor-intensive subsistence lifestyle. Especially when their individual share of the resulting pollution is small compared to the degree to which it’s improved their lives. “Declined” growth of 5% this year still means that things there are 5% bigger than they were last year.
- Aeolun 2y ago
  Are you suggesting they’re polluting for the hell of it?
- Qwertious 2y ago
  >and their growth has declined to below 5% this year. So they're still growing, then. And presumably southern China is still tropical and in desperate need of air conditioning in summer. In fact it's getting worse due to climate change.
  - seanmcdirmid 2y ago
    They also need heat in the winter. I’ve never been so cold in my life actually, people really take indoor heating for granted.
fred_is_fred 2y ago
1.2 billion and falling. For not the change in standard of living pushes consumption net positive, but I wonder about in 20 years or 30?
- Dylan16807 2y ago
  They're within a tenth of a percent of peak population. It might fall a meaningful amount over time, it might not.

throawayonthe 2y ago

[dead]

whatever1 2y ago

Someone is lying. Either the coal capacity is flat (as the main article of the thread suggests), or the coal-fired emissions are still rising (aka they are still bringing coal-fired capacity online). It wouldn't be the first communist regime that is lying though.

maxglute 2y ago
Or someone can't read. No where in article does it state Coal capacity is flat, just coal growth has flattened significantly per 14th five-year plan (2021-2025). PRC peak coal is expected this or next year, and phase down / decline starting 15th five-year plan (2026-2030).
- whatever1 2y ago
  Check again the graph.
  - maxglute 2y ago
    Coal segment from 2023 to Jun24 is not flat. https://i.imgur.com/Gfm8g2m.png https://i.imgur.com/Gfm8g2m.png It looks flat because that's what adding 8GW to ~1200GW looks like. Adding only 8GW coal is one point article remarks as noteworthy, and the data comports.