China's coal peak hailed as turning point in climate change battle

(The Guardian, 25 Jul 2016) Study by economists say achievement by world’s biggest polluter may be a significant milestone, rather than a blip.

The global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists.

They say the moment may well be a significant milestone in the course of the Anthropocene , the current era in which human activity dominates the world’s environment.

China is the world’s biggest polluter and more than tripled its coal burning from 2000 to 2013, emitting billions of tonnes of climate-warming carbon dioxide. But its coal consumption peaked in 2014, much earlier than expected, and then began falling.

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The Guardian, 25 Jul 2016: China's coal peak hailed as turning point in climate change battle