China is promoting coal-fired power as the ruling Communist Party tries to revive a sluggish economy.
After economic growth plunged last year, shortages caused blackouts and factory shutdowns in several areas of the country. Moreover, Russia’s attack on Ukraine has added to anxiety that foreign oil and coal supplies might be disrupted.
Chinese officials plan a call for boosting coal production capacity by 300 million tonnes this year, according to news reports. That is equal to 7 per cent of last year’s output of 4.1 billion tonnes, an increase of 5.7 per cent over 2020.
“This mentality of ensuring energy security has become dominant, trumping carbon neutrality," said Li Shuo, a senior global policy adviser for Greenpeace. "We are moving into a relatively unfavourable time period for climate action in China.”
China is the top producer and consumer of coal, producing more than 90 per cent of the 4.4 billion tons it burned last year, as well as...