Chinese Coal: Negating America’s Progress On Cleaner Energy

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Yesterday, I published a report on rising temperatures in South Carolina – and the belief in some circles that those increases were linked to elevated carbon emissions. Toward the end of that column, I noted how my outlet – and its columnists – have been critical of climate change propaganda tied to carbon emissions. I’ve also been particularly critical of propagandists who jack their carbon output while simultaneously endorsing crippling limitations on vital energy creation … in the name of carbon reduction.

Yesterday’s column also noted how natural gas has been the real hero in reducing carbon emissions in the United States in recent years – which is one reason I support our country acquiring more of it (and making it more readily available) as we continue to transition away from dirtier-burning sources like coal.

The energy policy of this media outlet has always been simple: We support whatever keeps our lights on and our motors running at the lowest possible cost to consumers. But “cost” applies both in the immediate monetary sense as well as the longer-term sustainable sense – and as I noted yesterday there is an important Biblical notion of stewardship to consider as we weigh these important decisions.

“I believe we have an obligation to shift our power grids as much as possible toward renewables, but we cannot allow this transition to be driven by crony capitalism, government subsidization and oppressive over-regulation,” I noted.

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For example, it is definitionally insane to shut down critical natural gas arteries – or block the creation of new nuclear power plants (especially small modular facilities) – seeing as these are the very power sources driving reductions in carbon emissions in the United States.

Wait … they are?

Yes … and this decrease is attributable almost exclusively to a reduced reliance on coal.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy-related CO2 emissions in our nation declined to 4.8 billion metric tons in 2023 – well below their peak of more than 6 billion metric tons in the early 2000s.

Take a look …

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“These reductions were caused largely by reduced coal-fired electricity generation, as natural gas and solar power made up a larger portion of the generation mix,” the agency noted. “This change in the generation mix away from coal, which has the highest carbon intensity among fossil fuels, decreased electric power sector CO2 emissions by 7 percent relative to 2022.”

And just to make sure there was no confusion as to the fuel source empowering this ongoing shift, here’s a look at the EIA chart tracking the sources of power generation in our country …

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According to the agency, total coal consumption in the United States – which eclipsed a billion short tons in 1996 (and remained above this threshold until 2011) – dipped to 513 million short tons in 2022 and was projected to have fallen further last year.

Unfortunately, positive environmental news in the United States is being countered by negative environmental news elsewhere on our planet. Actually, more than countered – outpaced.

Just this week, Reuters reported that Chinese coal output surged to a “six-month high” in June, with coal mines ramping up production “to meet seasonal demand” (i.e. air conditioning). According to the news agency, a whopping 405.38 million metric tons of coal was mined in China last month alone.

According to a recent report from Ember, a group which admittedly exists to “accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy,” China’s total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal-fired energy creation reached a new record high of 5.56 billion metric tons in 2023 – marking a six percent increase over the previous year. Thanks to that spike, China accounted for 64.4 percent of global coal emissions last year, the report noted.

Also thanks to China, global CO2 emissions climbed in 2023 to a new record of 37.6 billion metric tons.

Bottom line? China’s ongoing reliance on coal as its primary energy source is what is driving global increases in C02 – while thanks to natural gas, America is actually moving the needle in the right direction.

How should this reality inform our policy decisions at the state and national level? Simple: We must recognize that in the current climate – in which power is being taken off the grid faster than it is being added – nuclear and natural gas are the most viable options to continue bridging the gap between the power of the past and the power of the future.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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