China has expanded its use of coal energy more in the first half of 2025 than at any time in the past nine years. The spike comes despite massive renewable capacity and threatens climate goals.
China burned more coal at power plants between January and July of 2025 than at any time since 2016, despite massive renewable capacity, according to new environmental research report.
The report — published by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Finland-based independent air-quality research organization; and Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a US-based energy analytics company — says China put 21 gigawatts (GW) of coal power online in the first 6 months of 2025.
That is the highest six-month level in nine years. The CREA/GEM report also cites new construction and re-firing of existing coal plants totaling 46 GW and proposed projects with the capacity to produce a further 75 GW.
China: If the US isn’t, why should we?
Earth:
Why
2025 China bests chinas record for coal emissions.
Coal currently accounts for half of China’s energy production, down from three-quarters in 2016.
So, coal has gone down as a percentage of China’s overall energy production, but it’s gone up in absolute terms. Why? Growth.
If China’s economy had stayed the same size since 2016, they’d be well on their way to phasing out coal, with all the renewable capacity they’ve built over the last decade. But, that’s just not the nature of infinite growth. Infinite growth requires infinite energy. Eventually, you’ll need all the energy. Like, all the energy on Earth. But if you want to continue growing from there, even all the energy on Earth, renewable or otherwise, won’t be enough.
By God that’s Freeman Dyson’s music!
Yeah except the Dyson sphere ain’t happenin’. It’s science fiction. We’ll reach some hard, physical limits to growth long, long before anything like that could even be possible. When we do reach the limits to growth, well…
Sphere, no. Swarm? Perhaps.
It’s also going up in relative share though. There is huge global demand for solar panels so there are more incentives for them to export solar panels instead of installing them domestically. I can’t fault them for the current drop, but it’s still saddening.
Record high! (Over the last 9 years)
Don’t get me wrong, this is a bad thing, but let’s at least make the headline honest.
China: We increased green energy production.
To scale back on fossil fuels, right?
China: …
Right?
