China's reliance on coal: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Author: Iloka Benneth Chiemelie

Published: 13th of September 2014

Introduction

Irrespective of its bad image, coal is still an important source of energy to the world. In China, the demand for coal resulted in a national phenomenon in 2010 as more than 10,000 trucks carrying coals from Mongolia caused a traffic jam that stretches over 75 miles long (Peter, 2012). So what is likely pushing China’s policy for more coal consumption?

Why China is emphasizing on coal

Coal does seem like an odd contender in the present world where they are numerous sources of renewable-energy such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power. Coal is of huge disadvantage to the environment as it does create huge pollution, but it still have some undeniable advantages like: being widely available, more affordable, and easy to ship and burn – which all accounts for the increased demand in China (Kevin and Sabine, 2012; Li, 2003; Peter, 2012).

For a country that is home to more than 1.3 billion people, anything cheap is the best solution when it comes to energy and it’s obvious that coal will be in the top risk due to its high level of affordability (National Bureau of Statistics China, 2012).

Low cost is the biggest attraction of China’s interest to coal. A number of estimates, including those performed by the Chinese energy department has shown that the cost of burning coal is 1/3 the cost of using renewable energies like solar and wind energy (Kevin and Sabine, 2012; Li, 2003; Peter, 2012). Also, coal is not affected by the vagaries of windless or sunless days, and it can easily be used to meet the base-load of consumers’ demand for electricity without interruption.

Alternatives to coal

In the absence of coal, another close alternative is nuclear energy. The reason is because it has the same capability of coal to meet consumers’ electricity demand irrespective of the population size with reference to China. However, the industry is still reeling from the March 2011 disaster that occurred in Fukushima Daiichi power plant of the Japanese (Peter, 2012). Some of these complex issues when it comes to nuclear power has forced countries like Germany to turn down nuclear reactors as their source of electricity.

China to rely exclusively on coal for energy?

Yes, it is possible for China to exclusively rely on coal as its source of energy because it has the capacity of meeting demand for the energy resource, but this is not recommended at all. Coal is not a renewable source of energy, which means that it will not last eternally as its usage is limited by its availability and cost. Global demand for coal is expected to grow up to 8.9 billion by 2016 from its 7.9 billion tons demand din 2012 and about 700 million tons of such growth is expected to come from China (Peter, 2012), which means that the country’s reliance on coal as a source of energy is expected to continue growing. Thus, it will not be wise to rely exclusively on coal as it will make its economy directly dependent on coal and negative effects with respect to supply and demand of coal across the world will make China easily vulnerable.

Additionally, it is averaged that about 2,500 Chinese coal miners do die in accident perineum, and while China has promised to install equipment that will reduce carbon emission in its new plants, both the Chinese government and top coal producers in the country still face huge battle of making that a reality (Peter, 2012).  

Conclusion

In conclusion, China’s dependence on coal will continue to grow as a result of coal being a cheap source of energy but full reliance on coal is cannot be advised because it can have direct negative influence on Chinese economy, lives of miners, and the global environment.

References

Kevin, J, T., and Sabine, J. (2012). Understanding China’s Rising Coal Imports. Available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/files/china_coal.pdf [Accessed on: 13-09-2014].

Li Wenhua, (2003). “Coal and Clean Coal Technologies: Similarities and Differences between China and USA,” presentation at Harvard University.

National Bureau of Statistics, China Energy Statistical Yearbook (Beijing: China Statistics Press, 2012); Statistical Review of World Energy (London: British Petroleum, 2011).

Peter, G., (2012). “With China and India Ravenous for Energy, Coal’s Future Seems Assured.” The New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/business/energy-environment/china-leads-the-way-as-demand-for-coal-surges-worldwide.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0 [Accessed on: 13-09-2014].