To get a sense of the scale and severity of China’s addiction to coal, look no further than the scores of deep industrial mines and uncounted smaller pits dotted across the country’s north-central region, churning out more of the black rock than the rest of the world combined.
And it helps explain why China — the world’s largest emitter — remains reluctant to set hard limits on the potent greenhouse gas that the International Energy Agency estimates is responsible for [around 30 percent](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2023/understanding-methane-emissions) of global temperature rise since industrialization.
Within the coal industry, China is “the single dominant country” with potential to dramatically reduce emissions, which is why many hoped they would set quantitative targets in the plan, said Drew Shindell, a professor of earth science at Duke University.
Reducing methane, he said, “is the strongest lever for the next few decades to slow down and mitigate the damages from climate change.”
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To get a sense of the scale and severity of China’s addiction to coal, look no further than the scores of deep industrial mines and uncounted smaller pits dotted across the country’s north-central region, churning out more of the black rock than the rest of the world combined.
Scrutiny of China’s coal industry tends to focus on the network of [power plants](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/26/china-coal-plant-fossil-fuel-pollution/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4) that burn the fossil fuel for energy and release huge amounts of atmosphere-heating carbon dioxide. But the methane seeping from its mines has hampered global efforts to keep planetary warming from reaching even more dangerous levels.
And it helps explain why China — the world’s largest emitter — remains reluctant to set hard limits on the potent greenhouse gas that the International Energy Agency estimates is responsible for [around 30 percent](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2023/understanding-methane-emissions) of global temperature rise since industrialization.
Beijing this month released its first plan to curb methane emissions, but didn’t commit to any specific targets, and agreed, [jointly with the United States](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/15/china-united-states-climate-change-talks/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8), to triple renewable energy by 2030. While the Biden administration touted the deal as a significant breakthrough, many climate experts consider the statements too weak.
Within the coal industry, China is “the single dominant country” with potential to dramatically reduce emissions, which is why many hoped they would set quantitative targets in the plan, said Drew Shindell, a professor of earth science at Duke University.
Reducing methane, he said, “is the strongest lever for the next few decades to slow down and mitigate the damages from climate change.”
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