Kerry: China’s Coal Use ‘May Eclipse’ Some Green Efforts

During an interview with CNN International Correspondent Paula Newton that was aired on Friday’s broadcast of CNN International’s “Amanpour,” Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry stated that China is increasingly using coal as a source of energy, and China’s use of coal “may eclipse some of the efforts that are being made with respect to renewables.”

Kerry stated, “[W]hat we know is, we have to capture the emissions and obviously move away from any source of power that is not able to provide clean energy. Coal, for instance, is the dirtiest fuel in the world, and we need to move away from it, because we’re not able — there’s no such thing as clean coal. So, we have to move in a different direction.”

He added, “China is building more and more coal, and the amount of coal that China has may eclipse some of the efforts that are being made with respect to renewables. China is simultaneously building a remarkable amount of renewables, way more than we are or other countries are. And so, hopefully, those renewables will put them in a position that they don’t need the coal, they don’t have to light and burn those furnaces.”

Kerry also acknowledged China’s emissions are increasing.

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