China Burns Twice as Much Coal as Any Other Country

Photo: Thaddeus Robertson

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China burned more than twice as much coal as any other country in 2006, according to the Worldwatch Institute. The world's most populous nation is responsible for 60% of the world's growth in the use of coal over the past 10 years.

China accounted for 39% of the world's total, with the United States second at 18%, the European Union third at 10% and India fourth at 8%. India is responsible for 10% of the world's coal use growth in the past decade, second to China in that respect.

Coal generated one fourth of the world's energy and was responsible for 40% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

Burning coal is a big part of the world's emissions, and the continued use in the United States, and the rapidly increasing use in China and to a lesser extent India, presents one of the greatest challenges to world political and business leaders seeking strategies to reduce global warming.

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