China is reopening 15 more coal mines to meet rising energy demand in the country, in the Xinjiang and Shanxi regions. The Chinese thus prefer economic interests over climate targets.
For the northern region of Inner Mongolia, the reopening of 38 coal mines was already announced last week.
With this, the Asian country is also trying to push down the prices of coal. So far this year, they have risen by a third to a record high due to the enormous demand.
The government of President Xi Jinping continues to look for a balance between reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the energy demand, partly caused by the recovery of the industry.
Chinese policymakers last month advised slowing down the pace of cutting emissions in the country. Otherwise, it could stand in the way of economic growth.
The Chinese president previously promised to make China carbon neutral by 2060. This means, among other things, that the world’s largest polluter will have to switch quickly from fossil fuels to clean energy.