Comment by tialaramex
5 hours ago
> China is burning more coal today than ever before. Coal use is going up.
In terms of electricity production, that does not seem to be the case
https://ember-energy.org/data/electricity-data-explorer/?ent...
It's possible that China's metallurgical coal burning increased so much that it offsets power generation decline, but I wouldn't expect so.
> China is increasing all forms of energy as fast as possible.
This does not match the observed reality.
> This does not match the observed reality.
Observed by whom? For example this shows no change in overall trend.
https://www.iea.org/countries/china/emissions
Two problems. First, you were talking about China growing all forms of energy, but this chart isn't somehow depicting that, instead it's about CO2 emissions, but more importantly Second that's a chart ending in 2024. The chart I linked shows a dip for Coal in 2025 and further reducing year-on-year through to September 2026.
Your link shows a wavy curve of coal use that has an upward trend. I think your graph does prove my point.
Here is longer term data also: https://www.worldometers.info/coal/china-coal/#history
China is using more coal than ever before. But it's not monotone up, there is such a thing as a business cycle as well as global commodity price swings that add noise. Certainly when there is a contraction in manufacturing or high coal prices, firms will substitute away to other goods, or similarly when we have the oil shortages now, you can bet that coal use is increasing to compensate.
But despite all that there is a marked upward trend.
> This does not match the observed reality.
It matches the observed reality, yes. China spent half a billion Yuan to increase oil production, which it did. China increased coal production. China increased nuclear production. China increased wind and solar.
Name one form of energy that China is not increasing?