China’s Perspective: From Clean Energy to Powering Future Prosperity

The document outlines the unsustainability of China's fossil fuel-driven economic model, citing high import dependence for oil and gas, the finite nature of coal reserves, and significant environmental degradation including carbon emissions that constitute one-third of the global total.

• China's historical economic growth from 1978 to the early 2010s, characterized by an annual GDP increase of approximately 10%, was driven by a significant rise in fossil fuel use, including a six-fold increase in coal consumption and a five-fold increase in oil use and coal production.
• China faces energy security risks due to high import reliance, with oil import dependence exceeding 70% since the mid-2010s and gas imports accounting for about 40%. While coal is viewed as the bedrock of security, reserves estimated at 208 billion tonnes by the end of 2021 may only last 30 to 40 years given the 2024 annual consumption of 4.9 billion tonnes.
• The environmental impact of China's energy model includes ongoing air and water pollution and hazardous smog, with carbon emissions doubling in just under two decades to account for one-third of the global total.

APA

Ember (2025). China’s Perspective: From Clean Energy to Powering Future Prosperity. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/chinas-perspective-from-clean-energy-to-powering-future-prosperity/

Chicago

Ember. China’s Perspective: From Clean Energy to Powering Future Prosperity. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/chinas-perspective-from-clean-energy-to-powering-future-prosperity/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=China’s Perspective: From Clean Energy to Powering Future Prosperity |date=9 September 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/chinas-perspective-from-clean-energy-to-powering-future-prosperity/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025chinas, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{China’s Perspective: From Clean Energy to Powering Future Prosperity}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/chinas-perspective-from-clean-energy-to-powering-future-prosperity/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }