China's government is reluctant to reduce coal usage for fear of causing unemployment and unrest, even though it's the cause of about 40% of pollution in the country. Cheap coal still provides 70% of China's energy and the country produces and consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined. Despite announcing recently that it will slash coal production and spend $360bn on renewable energy, the government is to build nearly half a million coal-fired power plants in the next decade, increasing coal capacity 20% by 2020.
China's government is reluctant to reduce coal usage for fear of causing unemployment and unrest, even though it's the cause of about 40% of pollution in the country. Cheap coal still provides 70% of China's energy and the country produces and consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined. Despite announcing recently that it will slash coal production and spend $360bn on renewable energy, the government is to build two hundred coal-fired power plants in the next decade, increasing coal capacity 20% by 2020.