A coal-dependent future for China?

With a rare glimpse inside one of China’s working coalmines, Newsnight’s Science Editor, Susan Watts, has been to find out if a coal-dependent future for China is inevitable.

Coal built China – and fuels its relentless growth today. Eighty per cent of China’s electricity comes from coal, and there are plans for 544 new coal-fired power stations – to meet an insatiable demand for energy.

Yet coal is a prime source of carbon dioxide – the global warming gas. If the power plants go ahead, it will be all but impossible to avoid dangerous climate change.

BBC News