While headlines around the world have focused on China’s continued coal use, the actual story is much more complex. Behind those numbers is a rapidly changing energy landscape that could lead to a much less carbon-intensive future.

The key elements of this are the fast changes in non-fossil energy capacity, especially the explosion of solar energy since 2022. There is a big difference between the construction of coal-fired power plants and the actual use of coal. While Chinese companies have continued to build new power plants, many of them are running at half capacity, and some may never be used.

While headlines around the world have focused on China’s continued coal use, the actual story is much more complex. Behind those numbers is a rapidly changing energy landscape that could lead to a much less carbon-intensive future.

The key elements of this are the fast changes in non-fossil energy capacity, especially the explosion of solar energy since 2022. There is a big difference between the construction of coal-fired power plants and the actual use of coal. While Chinese companies have continued to build new power plants, many of them are running at half capacity, and some may never be used.

Moreover, the government continues to force old, inefficient plants to close down. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of........

© Foreign Policy