China underreporting coal consumption by up to 17%, data suggests

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

China underreporting coal consumption by up to 17%, data suggests

Tom Phillips in Beijing
Wednesday 4 November 2015 09.29 GMT

China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, has been dramatically underreporting the amount of coal it consumes each year, it has been claimed ahead of key climate talks in Paris.

Official Chinese data, reported by the New York Times on Wednesday after being quietly released earlier this year, suggests China has been burning up to 17% more coal each year than previously disclosed by the government.

The revelation – which may mean China has emitted close to a billion additional tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year – could complicate the fight against global warming ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, which begins on 30 November.

In 2012 China consumed 600m more tonnes of coal – or more than 70% of the United States’ annual total – than previously disclosed, according to the revised data.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/04/china-underreporting-coal-consumption-by-up-to-17-data-suggests

[Demeter]

1. Not surprising, not unexpected

China is one massive con game, why should it's statistical data be any different?

[willvotesdem]

2. I think this is changing as China's economy slows. Their major coal company

just let go of 100,000 workers!

[DetlefK]

4. There's conflicting reports on this.

I have read predictions by economists that China will slow down the economic growth to prevent a bubble from building up and to get the environmental destruction and the humongous resource-consumption under control.

But then I read reports that China reversed their slow-down and is looking to expand it's economy even faster.

[MADem]

3. Ah, China--the Volkswagen Diesel of the Globe!!! nt