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They're still massively using coal and using more and more of it. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electricity-prod-source-stacked?tab=chart&country=~CHN htt

They're still massively using coal and using more and more of it. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electricity-prod-source-stacked?tab=chart&country=~CHN https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electricity-prod-source-s...

estimator7292 1y ago
So they're evil and their progress is meaningless because it isn't immediately perfect? The US is far, far worse than China.
- beej71 1y ago
  The numbers I've seen aren't currently far worse, with the US producing slightly more CO2 per capita than China. But the trend is there to make it eventually far worse as we maneuver to be bass-ackwards.
  - robocat 1y ago
    I liked this comment looking at CO2/kWh instead of per capita https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44990464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44990464
thunderbong 1y ago
Well, they are making more stuff
ViewTrick1002 1y ago
The Chinese coal usage in absolute terms has recently started to decrease due to the massive renewable build out. In other words: China is building enough renewables to both cover the grid expansion and offset existing coal usage.
- baud147258 1y ago
  > Chinese coal usage in absolute terms has recently started to decrease That's not what the data I had linked above seems to indicate (2023 to 2024 it went from 5.7 to 5.8 TWh) And it keeps building coal power plants: https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/china-coal-plants https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/china-coal-plants, though the article is also optimistic that China is at/about to reach peak coal. And it's also funding coal power plants abroad, thought the scale doesn't seem that big compared to their domestic production: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Continues-to-Build-Coal-Power-Plants-Abroad-Despite-Vow-to-Quit.html https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Con...
  - ViewTrick1002 1y ago
    The data is comparing 2024 to 2025. > From December 2024, coal power generation declined for five straight months before ticking up slightly in May and June, mainly to offset weaker hydropower generation due to drought. Coal power generation was flat overall in the second quarter of 2025. > The chart below shows growth in monthly power generation for coal and gas (grey), solar and wind (dark blue) and other low-carbon power sources (light blue). > This illustrates how the rise in wind and solar growth is squeezing the residual demand left for coal power, resulting in declining coal-power output during much of 2025 to date. https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-still-building-new-coal-and-when-it-might-stop/ https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-still-bu... What they are doing is ensuring energy reliability and phasing out old nasty coal plants in favor of modern ones expected to have peaker like capacity factors. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-new-coal-plants-2027 https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-new-coal-plants-2027

estimator7292 1y ago

So they're evil and their progress is meaningless because it isn't immediately perfect? The US is far, far worse than China.

beej71 1y ago
The numbers I've seen aren't currently far worse, with the US producing slightly more CO2 per capita than China. But the trend is there to make it eventually far worse as we maneuver to be bass-ackwards.
- robocat 1y ago
  I liked this comment looking at CO2/kWh instead of per capita https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44990464 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44990464

thunderbong 1y ago

Well, they are making more stuff

ViewTrick1002 1y ago

The Chinese coal usage in absolute terms has recently started to decrease due to the massive renewable build out. In other words: China is building enough renewables to both cover the grid expansion and offset existing coal usage.

baud147258 1y ago
> Chinese coal usage in absolute terms has recently started to decrease That's not what the data I had linked above seems to indicate (2023 to 2024 it went from 5.7 to 5.8 TWh) And it keeps building coal power plants: https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/china-coal-plants https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/china-coal-plants, though the article is also optimistic that China is at/about to reach peak coal. And it's also funding coal power plants abroad, thought the scale doesn't seem that big compared to their domestic production: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Continues-to-Build-Coal-Power-Plants-Abroad-Despite-Vow-to-Quit.html https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Con...
- ViewTrick1002 1y ago
  The data is comparing 2024 to 2025. > From December 2024, coal power generation declined for five straight months before ticking up slightly in May and June, mainly to offset weaker hydropower generation due to drought. Coal power generation was flat overall in the second quarter of 2025. > The chart below shows growth in monthly power generation for coal and gas (grey), solar and wind (dark blue) and other low-carbon power sources (light blue). > This illustrates how the rise in wind and solar growth is squeezing the residual demand left for coal power, resulting in declining coal-power output during much of 2025 to date. https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-still-building-new-coal-and-when-it-might-stop/ https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-still-bu... What they are doing is ensuring energy reliability and phasing out old nasty coal plants in favor of modern ones expected to have peaker like capacity factors. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-new-coal-plants-2027 https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-new-coal-plants-2027