It is known that China has been emitting a massive amount of greenhouse gasses from coal into our atmosphere however it was found out that it's actually burning up to 17 percent more coal each year. It turns out that China has been burning more coal than previously disclosed by government.
As reported by New York Times, this data comes from the latest edition of China Energy Statistical Yearbooks. For 15 years, the country has been under-reporting its own coal consumption. It was found out that there are small factories not included in previous surveys that were discovered in 2013.
The difference is immense as the news site puts it. The revision in figures means that China has released much more carbon dioxide than previously estimated. This brings it to almost a billion more tons each year according to initial calculations.
The difference is greater than what the whole German economy releases yearly from fossil fuels.
Official from around the world will have to discuss implications about the difference when they gather in Parish this month. The aim of the gathering is to come up with an international framework to cut back greenhouse gas pollution. The difference of the data disclosed will also pose a challenge to scientists who are trying to combat China's smog. The smog often blankets regions in unhealthy haze.
A former energy official in China who now advises the National Resources Defense Council said, "This will have a big impact, because China has been burning so much more coal than we believed. It turns out that it was an even bigger emitter than we imagined. This helps to explain why China's air quality is so poor, and that will make it easier to get national leaders to take this seriously."
The Chinese government has promised to stop the increase of its emissions of carbon dioxide by 2030. However with the new data released, China will definitely have to double time to reach their goals. China will have to stop depending on coal sooner than expected however intimidating that could be. This could prove troublesome since commitments and many forecasts were based on the previous data which the government disclosed. International agencies will need to adjust their own data base as well.
What do you think about this new discovery? Will China be able to reduce its pollution by 2030? Share us your thoughts by leaving your comments below.
