Coal, the traditional bedrock of China¡¯s power system, is abundant in domestic fields, but it¡¯s dangerous to mine, damaging to the climate and human health, and ill-suited for handling the needs of a grid hosting ever-growing amounts of renewable power.
Natural gas is cleaner and more flexible for electricity generation, but it¡¯s relatively scarce domestically. Beijing, which is wary of dependence on foreign powers for essential commodities, imports 40% of the gas it uses ¡ª a proportion that may well rise in future. Meanwhile, use of fossil fuels is driving a climate-exposed country toward disasters that could have a devastating human and environmental toll.
If the country could crack down on the methane released from its coal mines, that would displace a third of gas imports, cut emissions by hundreds of millions of metric tons, and reduce risks to miners all at once.
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