China is burning nearly as much coal as the rest of the world combined

Here's the dirty secret about coal: Even as the U.S. moves way from it in a push toward cleaner energy sources, the rest of the world is not necessarily following suit. This is particularly the case in rapidly-developing nations, where coal usage is skyrocketing.

To wit, a report out Tuesday from the Energy Information Administration notes that coal consumption and production in China has more than doubled in the past decade, such that the nation now burns almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined. --Jon Terbush

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