China is easily the world’s largest carbon emitter, comprising 31.5% of global emissions in 2023, according to Our World In Data.
China’s insatiable coal consumption has largely driven its near exponential rise in emissions.
China is the world’s largest coal producer, importer, and user, accounting for around 30% more coal consumption than the rest of the world combined.
In the decade to 2024, China’s thermal coal electricity generation soared by 51%. Chinese coal production, imports, and consumption all hit record highs.
China and emerging nations like India have also increased their coal use faster than the developed world has reduced it.
I stumbled upon February 2025 research from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) outlining the “resurgence” in construction of new coal-fired power plants in China, which is “undermining the country’s clean-energy progress”.
According to the research, China began construction of 94.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-power capacity and resumed 3.3GW of halted projects in 2024, the highest level of construction in the last decade.
“A substantial number of new plants will come online in the next 2-3 years, further solidifying coalʼs role in the power system”, the report reads. “China now accounts for 93% of global construction starts for coal power in 2024”.
The pipeline of Chinese coal power projects is also brimming.
As noted earlier in the month, the world’s second- and third-biggest carbon emitters—the United States (13.0% share) and India (8.1% share)—have also committed to burning more coal.
The world has no chance of achieving ‘net zero’ emissions without the active participation of the world’s three largest players, who together account for more than half of the world’s carbon emissions.
