China is the worlds largest producer of Greenhouse Gases in the world because of one major problem... Coal. 73% of China's energy comes from coal and coal is one of the most polluting forms of fossils fuels. Coal is made when the carbon from organic matter is pressurized until it becomes rock. This process takes millions of years which makes Coal a non-renewable energy source. When coal is burned it creates large amounts of CO2. Since 2000, China has increased its coal use dramatically burns about 4 billion tons of coal a year.
While all this may seem grim, China has taken huge steps towards being clean and has promised to double its renewable energy output by 2030. This new plan also comes with more limits on fossil fuels and coal use. Also, China invested over $175 billion dollars on clean energy in 2014. This year, China invested $12.2 billion dollars in solar power alone. China's Nuclear power program has also started up again, with a Shandong power plant being built and plans for an increase of nuclear power to 140 Gigawatts by 2030. |
Perspectives
Chinese GovermentChina is the source of 28% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The Chinese Government has pledged to double their renewable energy output in an attempt to reduce their impact on Climate Change.
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Citizens of ChinaThe quality of the air in China is so poor that more than 656,000 Chinese Citizens die each year from diseases triggered by indoor or outdoor air pollution. Polluted drinking water kills another 95,600 each year, according to the World Health Organization.
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