Present and future of coal use in China

Abstract

In recent years, global warming has gradually intensified, and after the signing of the Paris Agreement, countries have gradually established emission targets of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality". This paper mainly discusses the main application areas and problems of coal under China's plans to achieve the dual carbon goals in 2035 and 2050 respectively, as well as the challenges China will face in clean coal use in the future. This paper argues that clean energy is an international trend, and countries around the world need to plan energy according to their respective resource endowments. China is in the midst of a transition period from high carbon to low carbon and no carbon. As a matter of current trends, China's total energy demand will still increase, but it is not yet ready to achieve a full replacement of coal from renewable energy. Therefore, in the coming decades, the development of clean coal is an important part of China's sustainable development path. Among China's proven fossil energy reserves, coal accounts for about 94%, which is the energy source with the strongest ability to stabilize the economy and guarantee itself. Deeply understanding China's energy resource endowment and the basic guarantee role of coal, and doing a good job in the clean, efficient and sustainable development and utilization of coal is a choice that conforms to the current basic national conditions and basic energy conditions.