Climate Change, page-893

You got to wonder about the hypocrisy of going carbon neutral when China continues to import coal from Australia to do what we're trying to prevent they say..one of the greatest con jobs in history....and we're the suckers falling for it?

In the 18th and 19th centuries coal was used extensively to propel nations forward into industrial modernity. The inorganic mineral catalysed Promethean advancements: it powered the steamship and locomotive, and it enabled the construction of gravity-defying bridges with iron and the use of ‘dark satanic mills’ to accelerate cotton manufacture. In many ways it symbolised humanity’s ability to harness the power of nature for its own economic ends.While new technologies have since allowed us to turn to cleaner energy sources, comprehensive demand for coal continues.

In 2022, global coal demand reached an all-time high of 8.42 billion tonnes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted an exodus from gas. According to the latest figures for 2023, coal consumption dropped by 20% in the US and EU but increased by 5% and 8% in China and India respectively, last year. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that coal-fired power generation grew by 1.5% (158TWh) in 2023, with coal use in the power sector increasing by 1.4% (81 million tonnes).China is the keystone of the global coal market. The Asian nation made up 54% of global consumption in 2022, with the main driver being thermal coal for power generation.

The IEA estimates that China’s coal-fired power generation increased by almost 7% in 2023. Nevertheless, the agency suggests this increase was caused by temporary factors, such as a drought that reduced the availability of hydropower and a post-Covid lockdown bounce back in economic growth. It suggests coal use in Chinese power generation will fall by 6% through to 2026, as renewable energies continue to gather pace.However, there is little evidence to suggest this reality will play out. Instead, several factors suggest China will continue to rely on coal-fired power generation, with energy security a key priority for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the midst of global geopolitical instability.

There are also issues with the nation’s grid that will make the transition away from coal to more distributed, volatile renewables more difficult than is sometimes assumed.China’s focus on coal is tied to energy sovereigntySince 2022, the CCP has approved the construction of more than 100GW of coal-fired power generation capacity. In the first half of 2023, the nation finished building 17GW, started constructing 37GW, and approved 52GW. According to US think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM), construction in China made up more than 95% of new coal-fired power capacity under development in the world last year. Yet the IEA predicts the beginning of a structural decline in coal consumption in 2024. It says recent build-outs are “a risk that may cause lock-in effects, weighing on future efforts to cut emissions”. Its latest report appears to ignore a role for coal in achieving the energy sovereignty that is at the heart of CCP policy.

The Future of Coal: Why China’s appetite remains (mining-technology.com)