
China’s cabinet announced Wednesday that it would try to cut pollution from coal-fired power plants by 60 percent by 2020
through upgrades to plants, according to a report by Xinhua, the state
news agency. If successful, the plan for upgrades would reduce carbon
dioxide emissions from such plants by 180 million metric tons, the
report said.
The announcement formalizes a step China is taking to try to reach
broader coal-use and emissions goals to decrease some of the world’s
worst levels of air pollutants and to help in limiting climate change.
China is by far the world’s largest coal consumer and emitter of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases.