Trends and challenges that could shape China\u2019s \u2014 and the world\u2019s \u2014 energy future<\/b>
\nBeijing \u2014 By backing off the U. S. commitment to address climate change, President Donald Trump leaves an opening for a chief economic rival, China, to expand its increasing dominance in the renewable energy industry.
In reacting to Trump\u2019s announcement that he was withdrawing the U. S. from the Paris climate accord, China reaffirmed its commitment to the landmark agreement and is poised to spend heavily in coming years on renewables.
Yet the world\u2019s most populous country remains heavily reliant on coal to generate electricity and power its steel mills \u2014 a habit that could be hard to break without stifling its economic aspirations. Here\u2019s a look at some of the trends and challenges that could shape China\u2019s \u2014 and the world\u2019s \u2014 energy future.
China already accounts for more than one-third of global wind energy capacity. It recently surpassed Germany to become No. 1 in solar capacity.
Renewables employ more than 3.6 million people in China \u2014 more than a third of the industry\u2019s global total. It plans to add another 13 million jobs in the sector by 2020 with investments of $144 billion in new solar projects, $100 billion in wind and $70 billion in hydro power.
That also should help China to reach its commitment under the Paris accord to cap greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
\u201cChina has expressed very clear signals that it wants to take more leadership in terms of promoting trade and global cooperation against climate change, \u201d said Frank Yu, a China-based renewables consultant for the firm Wood Mackenzie. \u201cThe retreat of the U. S. actually gives China more opportunity to lead these global efforts.\u201d
In January, China announced the suspension or cancellation of plans to build an additional 100 coal-fueled power plants. Yet dozens more are still expected to be built and China\u2019s also bankrolling plants in other countries.
It\u2019s by far the largest consumer of coal worldwide, producing 3.41 billion tons of the fuel last year \u2014 more than four times the volume in the U. S., the second largest coal consumer. Largely as a result, China is also the top emitter of greenhouse gasses blamed for worsening climate change.
Coal production is rebounding this year, up 2.5 percent during the first four months compared to the same period in 2016, according to China\u2019s National Bureau of Statistics.
Trump cited China\u2019s continued emissions as one justification for withdrawing from the climate accord, which the Republican said unfairly burdened U. S. industries. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Friday in response to Trump\u2019s remarks that as a \u201cresponsible major power\u201d China would continue to promote the Paris agreement and fulfill its obligation \u201c100 percent.\u201d
One option that\u2019s being pursued in the country\u2019s western provinces is to convert coal into synthetic natural gas. That could help curb air pollution blamed for urban smog and, researchers say, potentially stave off tens of thousands of premature deaths annually.
But converting coal to gas would also produce more of the carbon dioxide that\u2019s the main driver behind climate change, first in manufacturing the gas and again in burning it. Meanwhile, the renewables boom has proven too much for China\u2019s electricity grid to fully absorb, causing some energy to go to waste.<\/p>\n

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