New data shows China burns a lot more coal than reported

Newly released data shows that China has burned up to 17 percent more coal a year than the government has said, meaning the country has released almost a billion more tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously estimated.

China is the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, The New York Times reports, and the increase is more than the entire German economy emits every year from fossil fuels. The data appeared in an energy statistics yearbook published by China's statistical agency, and shows that the consumption of coal has been underestimated since 2000, and especially during the last few years. The data was adjusted after a census of the economy in 2013 found gaps in data collection, specifically from smaller companies and factories, and the revision is so great that the new figures add close to 600 million tons to China's coal consumption in 2012.

Yang Fuqiang, a former energy official in China, told the Times the new information sheds light on why China has such poor air quality and "that will make it easier to get national leaders to take this seriously." The Chinese government has said it will stop the growth of emissions of carbon dioxide by 2030, and this month, leaders from around the world will meet in Paris to come up with international guidelines for stopping greenhouse gas pollution.

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