China cuts down coal consumption, world CO2 emission dwindles

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China, the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning of fossil fuel, has decline its consumption in 2015 by 3.7%.

Coal makes up 64% of China's total energy over the years that makes 30% of the worldwide emissions equivalent to US, EU and India combined. Also, European Union also stated in Carbon Brief explaining that aside from coal consumption, China also uses fuel which constitutes 73% fossil fuel consumption and is responsible for 83% of the CO2 emissions

However, China's decline on coal usage greatly affects the world CO2 emissions. Industry stood at 36.3 billion tons in 2015 but it appears to be the same from the past year 2014. These because China's coal usage is dropped by 2.9% as well as its CO2 emissions declined by 0.7%. A breakthrough in the fight against global warming.

Many experts believed that this could mean a great advantage to the environment. Since China is responsible for the 30% of the CO2 emissions in the world, it has the greatest impact to initialize the move for other nations in making a stand in minimizing the greenhouse gases.

"This year of almost no growth in emissions is unprecedented at a time of strong economic growth. This will be a great help for tracking climate change but it is not enough. Global emissions now need to decrease rapidly, not stop growing." Per statement in IBT by Corine Le Quéré, lead researcher from the University of East Anglia in U.K.

But by 2020, China has pledge to cut air pollution form coal-fired power plants by 60%, saving 180m tons of CO2 each year in the process and wants to reduce carbon intensity of its economy by 40% to 45% on 2005 levels. They also said that they will reduce their coal consumption by 62% as their primary energy, as per reports in Carbon Brief.

Moreover, restriction of a new coal-fired power plant, refusal to approve new coal mines and the closure of 1,000 mines over the course of 2016 will also be implemented.