IN THE WORLD TODAY

China’s coal production to see ‘boost’

CHINA is promoting coal-fired power as the ruling Communist Party tries to revive a sluggish economy, prompting warnings that Beijing is setting back efforts to cut climatechanging carbon emissions from the biggest global source.

Official plans call for boosting coal production capacity by 300 million tons this year, according to news reports. That is equal to 7% of last year’s output of 4.1 billion tons, which was an increase of 5.7% over 2020.

China is one of the biggest investors in wind and solar, but jittery leaders called for more coal-fired power after economic growth plunged last year and shortages caused blackouts and factory shutdowns.

Li Shuo, a senior global policy adviser for Greenpeace, said: “The mentality of ensuring energy security has become dominant, trumping carbon neutrality.

“We are moving into a relatively unfavourable time period for climate action in China.”

Officials face political pressure to ensure stability as President Xi Jinping prepares to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as ruling party leader in the autumn.

Coal is important for “energy security”, cabinet officials said at a meeting last Wednesday, which approved plans to expand production capacity.

The ruling party is also building power plants to inject money into the economy and revive growth that sank to 4% over a year earlier in the final quarter of 2021, down from the full year’s 8.1% expansion.

China is the top producer and consumer of coal, meaning global energy trends hinge on the path Beijing sets with its production.