Did China finally kick its coal addiction in 2024?

Beijing's promises to fully phase out the fuel seem little more than rhetoric

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20241227 coal plant china

A chimney of a coal-fired power plant stands behind a lion statue in Shanghai, China. © Reuters

Tim Daiss has been an energy markets, sustainability and geopolitical journalist and analyst in the Asia-Pacific region for the past 15 years.

As 2024 came to a close, most of the world is still concerned about climate change and when, or even if, it will ever be brought under control. Much of the responsibility for the dilemma rests on five major countries that make up more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions. China's emissions still top the list, making up 31.5% of the global total, followed by the U.S. (13%), India (8.1%), Russia (4.8%) and Japan (2.6%).

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