--- description: China has burned 17% more coal in recent years than the country had previously acknowledged leading to significantly higher carbon emissions title: China Coal: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Greater Than Thought image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3795d3dcdb64c873/69886f835f570f57cbb1e2ae/china-coal-carbon.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # China's Carbon Dioxide Emissions Far Greater Than Previously Acknowledged  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Nov 4, 2015 1:08 PM CUT  Coal burning powerplant in China Coal burning powerplant in ChinaChristian Petersen-Clausen—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Nov 4, 2015 1:08 PM CUT China has burned 17% more coal in recent years than the country had previously acknowledged leading to significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report on new government figures. The revelation, [reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/world/asia/china-burns-much-more-coal-than-reported-complicating-climate-talks.html "undefined") in the New York _Times_, comes just weeks before the start of an international conference on climate change in Paris that world leaders hope will yield an international agreement to stem carbon dioxide emissions. The new figures suggest that the country may be more reliant on coal, which [emits more carbon dioxide](http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=74&t=11 "undefined") per electricity produced than any other other commonly used energy source, just as its leaders aim to wean the country off the fuel. China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has promised to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The new data, published by China’s statistical agency, suggests that coal use has been underestimated since 2000, according to the _Times_ report. The correction accounts for more usage by small companies than previously thought . **Read More**: [China Shows It’s Getting Serious About Climate Change](http://time.com/4050702/china-shows-its-getting-serious-about-climate-change/ "undefined") The revelation may also have implications for how climate negotiators approach the issue of transparency at the upcoming climate talks. Some in the U.S. and elsewhere have doubted whether leaders in China and other countries would be able to provide accurate information about their countries’ emissions, further complicating an agreement. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4099460/china-coal-carbon/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4099460/china-coal-carbon/"},"headline":"China's Carbon Dioxide Emissions Far Greater Than Previously Acknowledged","datePublished":"2015-11-04T13:08:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:19:47.351Z","description":"China has burned 17% more coal in recent years than the country had previously acknowledged leading to significantly higher carbon emissions","url":"https://time.com/4099460/china-coal-carbon/","keywords":["climate change","China"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3795d3dcdb64c873/69886f835f570f57cbb1e2ae/china-coal-carbon.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3795d3dcdb64c873/69886f835f570f57cbb1e2ae/china-coal-carbon.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"china coal carbon","caption":"china coal carbon","creditText":"Christian Petersen-Clausen—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4099460/china-coal-carbon/","name":"China's Carbon Dioxide Emissions Far Greater Than Previously Acknowledged"}}]}] ```