The problems caused by coal were not entirely their fault—the state's control over extraction rights and frequent crackdowns encouraged mine owners to cash in as quickly as possible and with minimum concern for safety. But mine owners were a reviled group, who were accused of having blood on their hands, ruining the land and being the epitome of bad taste. Young people who drove flashy cars, wore loud clothes and treated people badly were taunted as being "like the child of a Shanxi mine own- er." The image was not helped by the forty Porsches seen at the ostentatious wedding parade of one of these children.
Pan Yue, the deputy environment minister, described the bosses as little more than parasites. "Coal-mine owners from Shanxi province indiscriminately extract coal and dig up the land, creating pollution. As a result they become extremely wealthy. Once they have polluted Shanxi, however, they do not stay there. Instead they move to Beijing, where they buy luxury villas and push up house prices. They have also pushed up property prices in all the coastal regions of north China. If these areas then become polluted, they will no doubt move to the US, Canada or Australia and cause inflation there too. They create pollution, but are removed from its consequences. They take all the benefits of polluting industries, but pay nothing towards the clean-up costs."
The true cost of the mines never shows up on balance sheets. For the mining provinces, it is a curse. They receive far from a fair market price because the mines are owned by the state and the colliery owners get the rights to profit from extraction. The prosperity of cities like Shanghai and Beijing is based on cheap energy from provinces like Shanxi and Shaanxi, which are left with the environmental and health costs. One influential study estimates the environmental and social costs associated with China's use of coal at about 7.1 per cent of the nation's GDP in 2007.
Industry forecasters say it can't go on. Without a long-term strategic plan, the country's reserves will be exhausted before the end of the century. The government has responded with a drive for more efficiency, the key focus of president Hu Jintao's "Scientific Outlook on Development." It has closed small private mines and opened automated mega-collieries. It has replaced small old thermal plants with supercritical and ultra-supercritical generators equipped with scrubbers and other technology to reduce emissions of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide (though it has not always been properly used). Policymakers are studying the possibility of a carbon tax. More public funds and utility cash are being invested in "clean coal" technology. Along with the tightening of safety standards, this has begun to drive up the cost of domestic coal, as has Shanxi's introduction of an ecological restoration fund.
Indeed, as prices soared in 2008, many factories in the southeast started importing from Australia and elsewhere. Abandoning coal completely is not, of course, an option, as I learned in a discussion with Xiao Yunhan, an energy visionary at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "Nobody likes coal, even in China. But do you have a better solution for our energy supply problems?" he said. He expected consumption of coal to double over the following ten years. For at least another two decades, China would be trapped in a coal-dependent economy.
"Even if China utilises every kind of energy to the maximum level, it is still difficult for us to produce enough energy for economic development. It's not a case of choosing coal or renewables. We need both," the senior scientist said. "We have to use coal so the best thing we can do is make that use as efficient as possible."
Unlike the Meng brothers, people will not be expected to eat lumps of anthracite, but industrialists are expected to find new ways to consume carbon. In addition to installing newer and more efficient power plants, China is also ahead of other nations in developing and adopting Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology that turns coal into gas, removes impurities, maximises efficiency and can capture carbon. In the future, Xiao predicted plants will be able to turn coal into gas and diesel, capturing and eventually sequestrating carbon dioxide emissions. Some of the technology is at an advanced stage of development.
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12 Comments
Add CommentI was in China recently and didnt find the air bad in Bejing, Shanghi or Dalian except for sand storm from the Gobi desert.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLots of cars, but all new so no old boats on the road spewing oil and gas fumes.
China is getting their act together and accomplishing things every single day, building dams, nuclear power plants and yes coal. Coal will be used for hundreds of years, the technology has allowed dramatic reductions in its outputs.
LOL--The question is a stupid one, because China has absolutely zero intention of doing without coal. Neither does India or a long list of other countries that want electricity. Increases in CO2 emissions over the next 50 years will come from those countries as they seek similar levels of electricity access that is available in developed countries today.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe main polluting use of coal in China are the large "tablets" that are used for heating in millions of homes. These are burned in primitive stoves, virtually all without any type of catalyst, and they pollute extensively.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor a very interesting chart on Co2 produced by nation and by nation-per-capita please see this link:
http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/tracking-climate-change-24435/
You do realize that those nice new cars still produce a lot of CO2 even if they aren't 'spewing oil', don't you? All the coal fired electric generation facilities built in recent years my be cleaner than older designs, but still produce a lot of CO2. Please refer to candide's comment #4 link.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBy the way, were you a guest of the government or industry on your trip to China? Yes, they are building the future, but I think you missed a lot of sites and even cities exhibiting major environmental disasters. The future ain't that bright.
While polution is a major global probelm, it has become fashion by western corporate media including scientific publications to bash China. Has the author traveled to other developing countries whcih are US allies and seen the level of polution or price of human life. China is doing far better tahn many western darlings in Asia. SA should engage in science doscourse and not copy FOX, CNN, NYT and other corporate agencies. In fact, many Asian countries are getting epidemic of asthma and other chest ailments due to polution. However, they are praised as great, most powerful nations, flourishing democracies etc by western governments and media. Such double standard is sickening.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSilly article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was in Shandong 4 years ago. Thee were thousands of people everywhere...I didn't see anyone trapped in a coal pile.
Hint...China is bigger in geographic area than the USA. Los Angeles is not 'the USA' anymore than Beijing is 'China'.
Much of China's coal in future will come from China and Canada.... natural gas from russia and oil also from Canada. Huge contracts have already been signed and mines developed.
Overall, a silly misleading article. China will survive.
With Chinese nuclear costs projected to be less than their own coal within two to three years, its likely China will be going massively coal to nuclear after 2020.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRight now China wants to get their nuclear sales competitive advantage firmly established before letting their massive sales of wind and solar equipment to idiots in the west phase out in favour of Chinese nuclear exports.
http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/china-leverages-learning-curve-cost.html
Your point is valid, but I have to point out that China's emerging world economy has produced large increases in CO2 production in recent years. It is now the world's largest producer of CO2 emissions. Its continued economic growth will likely produce the largest change in CO2 production in the next several years.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEventually everybody will use another power source: Aether.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA Flying Saucer "taps" power out of the aether.
Tesla used it for powering his Pierce Arrow car in 1931.
Nasa could have had it when they were given the technology of Gravity Control but allowed some handymen in physics to screw it up with the big Black-out of 2003 as a result.
Then they informed the Nasa Head-Office that the System, used by a Flying Saucer, was unsuitable for Space Travel.
Coal burning will only be ecologically acceptable when power plant uses pure oxygen in the combustion cycle. That way only pure CO2 is produced which can be stored underground. But at present oxygen is expensive, but so too is CO2 capture and storage in present plant. There is the added advantage that there is no NOx either.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAgree with you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUSA and the Euro developed countries has beening using coal and pouring CO2 to the atmosphere for over a hundred year. The major part of CO2 comes from them. Now how can they stop others countires from using coal as a energy source?
Geothermic energy has a far greater potential for generating electricity than all fossil fuel reserves put together. When the Chineses leaders realise this, they will make the necessary investments that all the other world leaders are too ill-informed to introduce, because of the whining drivel emitted by the heads of big energy groups.
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