Energy policy and politics in China

If China, despite an expanding economy, is to rein in its CO2 emissions over the next 25 years, it must become far less dependent on coal and/or burn the coal it does use much more cleanly and efficiently. The context in which energy-related decisions in China are and will be made are sketched to outline the spectrum of debate concerning the country's greenhouse gases and what to do about them, and to indicate how much scope there is for attempting more or less radical changes in direction. These matters are well worth understanding, as China's action in this arena will be the key to any effort to force a coherent approach to the inherently global issue of climate change.