China and India Should Kick Their Coal Habit

An end to coal, the world’s dirtiest source of energy, should be in sight. In the eight years since the Paris Agreement was signed, planned new coal capacity globally has shrunk almost 70%. Yet China and India, two of the three biggest emitters, are bucking this welcome trend. To have any hope of meeting climate targets, the world needs them to change course.

China is the larger offender. The International Energy Agency has estimated that unabated coal power will have to be phased out in the developed world by 2030 and elsewhere by 2040 to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C. In the past two years, China has instead approved a massive 218 gigawatts of new coal-fired capacity. In 2023 alone, China brought 47 gigawatts of coal online and began building another 70 gigawatts — accounting for 95% of new construction globally last year.