China leads the world in coal use and CO2 emissions from coal. Coal Use in China and other Asian developing countries is expected to increase significantly over the next 20 years. The 1997 Kyoto Agreement on global climate change imposes binding reductions in emissions of CO2 and other major "greenhouse gases" on developed nations, but not on China and other developing nations. With China's CO2 increase projected to surpass U.S. emissions by 2020, the Clinton Administration says it will not send the agreement to the Senate for advice and consent without "meaningful participation" by developing countries. This report discusses the factors behind China's planned reliance on coal for future energy growth and provides statistics on coal use and CO2 emissions in Asia.
