Sentences with phrase «on coal consumption»

The assault on coal consumption, until recently a developed - world affair, is starting to look something like a world war.

(Here he is on coal consumption.)

Chinese proclamations on coal consumption and the corresponding decline in carbon emissions may be off the mark, a journal study found.

Not exact matches

The Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined cCoal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined ccoal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coalcoal.

About half of the cost is due to increased consumption of natural gas that will be the side - effect of cracking down on coal.

On an annualized basis, statistics show that in the first four months of 2015, coal consumption in China dropped by an incredible 8 %, while overall CO2 emissions dropped by 5 %.8 So, what has happened then?

With consumption growing, oil supplies tight, and the world in a warming trend, the search is on for better energy sources — clean coal, safe nuclear reactors, and more far - reaching ideas like artificial photosynthesis.

Coal consumption in China has risen more than threefold since the 1980s, and there are close to 21 times more wheels on China's roads.

Twenty percent of the energy used to stage the games came from renewable energy sources, even though Beijing still relies on coal for more than 40 percent of its electricity consumption.

Keeping in mind the enormous stake that panel members ExxonMobil and Shell have in the oil, natural gas and coal industries, here is a look at the panel's take on why oil and coal have been so difficult to replace by the following alternative energy sources: Natural gas ExxonMobil favors boosting the U.S.'s consumption of natural gas, in part, because it produces at least 50 percent less greenhouse gas per hour when burned compared with coal, Nazeer Bhore, ExxonMobil senior technology advisor, said during the panel.

If the price on carbon is high enough to penalize coal consumption, the theory is it creates economic incentives to retrofit coal plants or use gas or wind power to generate electricity.

«But there has been good progress on reducing coal consumption, often at (the) expense of more natural gas, but also renewables have done better than expected.»

The reason for the increase, the report suggests, falls largely on China, whose 2017 emissions are projected to grow by about 3.5 percent, thanks to increases in the consumption of coal, oil and natural gas.

Largely thanks to a decrease in coal consumption in both countries, the analysis suggests that annual emissions from the two countries combined are on track to be about 2 billion to 3 billion tons lower in the year 2030 than previous estimates have indicated.

For the first time, the plan includes quantified guidance on energy consumption control, stating that China should limit its energy use to 5 billion tons of standard coal equivalent.

Although the growth rate of coal slows from the breakneck pace of the last decade, global coal consumption by 2017 stands at 4.32 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (btoe), versus around 4.40 btoe for oil, based on IEA medium - term projections.

Problem number one in greenhouse gas emissions remains coal consumption, not to mention its onerous impact on air quality and public health.

But He said that would depend on China achieving a real reduction in coal consumption from sometime around 2020 or 2025, and on the nation meeting its target of having 150 - 200 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2030.

«9 Based on the IEO2006 reference case forecast for coal consumption, and assuming that world coal consumption would continue to increase at a rate of 2.0 percent per year after 2030, current estimated recoverable world coal reserves would last for about 70 years.»

There are alternatives I don't think I convinced either of my two audiences that fossil fuels are going to disappear overnight, but once I drew their attention to recent declines in Chinese coal production and a stall in global carbon emissions they did appear to concede that basing future investment decisions simply on past patterns of consumption might not be the wisest of strategies.

The economic benefit to the end - users takes the form of savings on health care and coal consumption.

However, using other official data as a proxy, including coal and electricity consumption, other analysts have tried to calculate a figure on its behalf.

With today's statistics showing that coal dropped in 2015 to 64 % of total energy consumption, China looks to be on track to achieving this.

One measure of the disposition of coal stocks, called days of burn, is an estimate of how many days a stockpile of coal would last at a plant based on past consumption patterns.

Burn days: The number of days the station could continue to operate by burning coal already on hand assuming no additional deliveries of coal and an average consumption rate.

There was some bad news for Drax recently as the UK government decided that biomass subsidies would not keep climbing as the «carbon price floor» — levied on fossil fuel production (and due to rise further)-- on electricity consumption has caused a backlash from manufacturers, consumer groups and energy suppliers who are concerned that the «tax will push up prices, make the UK uncompetitive and force the premature closure of coal - fired power plants, increasing the risk of blackouts.»

Oil is especially useful due to its portability (I don't expect coal - burning cars to come on the market any time soon), so I wouldn't expect the drop in oil consumption to be made up for with other lesser fossil fuels.

The Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined cCoal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined ccoal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coalcoal.

After the historic Sino - US accord on climate change signed in Beijing between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping 12 days ago, China has unveiled further details on what it plans to do in regard to coal consumption, the primary [continue reading...]

But new data on China's coal consumption significantly alters our calculation, ultimately moving Earth Overshoot Day to August 9, four days earlier on the calendar.

While the war on coal is working, reducing coal generation and consumption and associated carbon dioxide emissions here in the...

-- I'd agree to all assumptions made on wind & PV deployment, rather stable consumption, slight increased price competitiveness for gas towards coal and so on.

Only the US and Canada of the G7 countries meeting on Monday in Berlin have reduced coal consumption since the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009.

The estimation was based on data from the China Coal Industry Association and the National Energy Administration for the first half of 2017, when China's coal consumption experienced a sharp reboCoal Industry Association and the National Energy Administration for the first half of 2017, when China's coal consumption experienced a sharp rebocoal consumption experienced a sharp rebound.

These moves come on the back of China's previous cancellation and closure of 103 coal - fired plants coordinate with three consecutive years of falling coal consumption from 2014 through 2016.

On the other hand, coal consumption increased in India by 9.3 percent and by 10 percent in other Asian countries during the same period.

To more quickly speed up the on - going transition to renewable energy, China can, for example, work to peak its coal consumption by 2020, while the US can put money on the table at the Green Climate Fund pledging conference next week, allowing developing countries to boost their own action.

Most discussion of declining demand for US coal focuses on the US electricity sector (which is responsible for 93 percent of domestic coal consumption), specifically the twin booms in natural gas and renewables.

Experts agree that a shift in our energy and consumption is necessary to avert catastrophe brought on by global warming, yet there is strong resistance to a major move away from a coal - fired electricity and oil - based economy to one based on alternative sources of renewable energy.

«Texas Decision Could Double Wind Power Capacity in the U.S.,» Renewable Energy Access, 4 October 2007; coal - fired power plant equivalents calculated by assuming that an average plant has a 500 - megawatt capacity and operates 72 percent of the time, generating 3.15 billion kilowatt - hours of electricity per year; an average wind turbine operates 36 percent of the time; Iceland geothermal usage from Iceland National Energy Authority and Ministries of Industry and Commerce, Geothermal Development and Research in Iceland (Reykjavik, Iceland: April 2006), p. 16; European per person consumption from European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), «Wind Power on Course to Become Major European Energy Source by the End of the Decade,» press release (Brussels: 22 November 2004); China's solar water heaters calculated from Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), Renewables Global Status Report, 2006 Update (Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute, 2006), p. 21, and from Bingham Kennedy, Jr., Dissecting China's 2000 Census (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, June 2001); Philippines from Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), «World Geothermal Power Up 50 %, New US Boom Possible,» press release (Washington, DC: 11 April 2002).

As a result, a cap - and - trade system's effect on the cost of coal use would be significantly greater than its effect on the cost of gasoline or natural gas consumption.

Learn to read: BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua)-- China on Wednesday issued an energy development plan to cap primary energy consumption at 4.8 billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent per year by 2020.

Low levels of U.S. coking coal consumption in 2009 and 2010 were also partly attributed to the recent economic downturn; the February 2011 STEO forecasts a slight increase in U.S. coking coal consumption and an increase in coking coal exports in 2011, based on the assumption of improved economic performance and continued strength in international demand, respectively.

Consequently, the research report calls for action: (1) to reform electricity markets so that low cost renewables are dispatched first; (2) to extend robust moratoriums on new coal power plants; (3) to cap longer - term coal consumption and emissions in the power sector in the context of carbon markets.

ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW Minister for the Environment & Heritage: David Kemp Minister for Forestry & Conservation: Ian McDonald Total Energy Consumption (2000E): 4.89 quadrillion Btu * (1.2 % of world total energy consumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 96.87 million metric tons of carbon (1.5 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 255 million Btu (vs U.S. value of 351 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 5.1 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 10,804 Btu / U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.21 metric tons of carbon / thousand U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1999E): Transportation (42 %) Industrial (37 %), Residential (13.5 %), Commercial (7.5 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (46.4 %), Transportation (26.5 %), Residential (15.2 %), Commercial (11.9 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3Consumption (2000E): 4.89 quadrillion Btu * (1.2 % of world total energy consumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 96.87 million metric tons of carbon (1.5 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 255 million Btu (vs U.S. value of 351 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 5.1 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 10,804 Btu / U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.21 metric tons of carbon / thousand U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1999E): Transportation (42 %) Industrial (37 %), Residential (13.5 %), Commercial (7.5 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (46.4 %), Transportation (26.5 %), Residential (15.2 %), Commercial (11.9 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3consumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 96.87 million metric tons of carbon (1.5 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 255 million Btu (vs U.S. value of 351 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 5.1 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 10,804 Btu / U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.21 metric tons of carbon / thousand U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1999E): Transportation (42 %) Industrial (37 %), Residential (13.5 %), Commercial (7.5 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (46.4 %), Transportation (26.5 %), Residential (15.2 %), Commercial (11.9 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3Consumption (2000E): 255 million Btu (vs U.S. value of 351 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 5.1 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 10,804 Btu / U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.21 metric tons of carbon / thousand U.S. $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1999E): Transportation (42 %) Industrial (37 %), Residential (13.5 %), Commercial (7.5 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (46.4 %), Transportation (26.5 %), Residential (15.2 %), Commercial (11.9 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3Consumption (1999E): Transportation (42 %) Industrial (37 %), Residential (13.5 %), Commercial (7.5 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (46.4 %), Transportation (26.5 %), Residential (15.2 %), Commercial (11.9 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3Consumption (2000E): Coal (44.2 %), Oil (34.8 %), Natural Gas (16.6 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Coal (55.4 %), Oil (32.6 %), Natural Gas (12.0 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 3Consumption (1998E): 396 trillion Btu * (0.9 % increase from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1.7 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified December 30th, 1992).

What immediately occurs to me that coal consumption has two direct forcings on the climate... one long - term and one short - term, and both in opposite directions.

ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW Total Energy Consumption (2000E): 2.7 quadrillion Btu * (0.7 % of world total energy consumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 36.4 million metric tons of carbon (0.6 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 73.2 million Btu (vs. U.S. value of 351.0 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 1.0 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 9,226 Btu / $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.12 metric tons of carbon / thousand $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1998E): Industrial (48.6 %), Transportation (23.7 %), Residential (18.8 %), Commercial (8.8 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (44.8 %), Transportation (32.7 %), Residential (16.2 %), Commercial (6.2 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on MarchConsumption (2000E): 2.7 quadrillion Btu * (0.7 % of world total energy consumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 36.4 million metric tons of carbon (0.6 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 73.2 million Btu (vs. U.S. value of 351.0 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 1.0 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 9,226 Btu / $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.12 metric tons of carbon / thousand $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1998E): Industrial (48.6 %), Transportation (23.7 %), Residential (18.8 %), Commercial (8.8 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (44.8 %), Transportation (32.7 %), Residential (16.2 %), Commercial (6.2 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on Marchconsumption) Energy - Related Carbon Emissions (2000E): 36.4 million metric tons of carbon (0.6 % of world carbon emissions) Per Capita Energy Consumption (2000E): 73.2 million Btu (vs. U.S. value of 351.0 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 1.0 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 9,226 Btu / $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.12 metric tons of carbon / thousand $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1998E): Industrial (48.6 %), Transportation (23.7 %), Residential (18.8 %), Commercial (8.8 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (44.8 %), Transportation (32.7 %), Residential (16.2 %), Commercial (6.2 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on MarchConsumption (2000E): 73.2 million Btu (vs. U.S. value of 351.0 million Btu) Per Capita Carbon Emissions (2000E): 1.0 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.6 metric tons of carbon) Energy Intensity (2000E): 9,226 Btu / $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 10,918 Btu / $ 1995) ** Carbon Intensity (2000E): 0.12 metric tons of carbon / thousand $ 1995 (vs U.S. value of 0.17 metric tons / thousand $ 1995) ** Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1998E): Industrial (48.6 %), Transportation (23.7 %), Residential (18.8 %), Commercial (8.8 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (44.8 %), Transportation (32.7 %), Residential (16.2 %), Commercial (6.2 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on MarchConsumption (1998E): Industrial (48.6 %), Transportation (23.7 %), Residential (18.8 %), Commercial (8.8 %) Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (44.8 %), Transportation (32.7 %), Residential (16.2 %), Commercial (6.2 %) Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on MarchConsumption (2000E): Natural Gas (45.2 %), Oil (36.3 %), Coal (1.5 %) Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (2000E): Oil (48.1 %), Natural Gas (49.3 %), Coal (2.5 %) Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on MarchConsumption (1998E): 393 trillion Btu * (0.5 % decrease from 1997) Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 5.6 (vs U.S. value of 1.3) Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed June 12, 1992 and ratified on March 11, 1994).

Despite uncertainty and confusion about the numbers, the 2016 data is one more piece of evidence that China will not return to the days of skyrocketing coal consumption for good, and that the world's largest CO2 emitter is on the right path to start reducing its emissions permanently at some point in the coming decade.

Barring a dramatic slump in the Chinese economy (even more than we have seen until now), oil and gas consumption are bound to keep growing in the medium term, on the back of increased transport demand and government policies to increase gas consumption to stem air pollution from coal burning.

But if it is either the start of a more lasting demand - driven trend, or if stimulus continues, it could put a brake on further drops in coal consumption over the coming years.