China is backing off coal power plant approvals after a 2022-23 surge that alarmed climate experts

Approvals for new coal-fired power plants have dropped sharply in China after a flurry of permits in the previous two years raised concern about the government’s commitment to limiting climate change. An analysis released Tuesday by Greenpeace East Asia and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies found that 14 new plants were approved in the first half of this year with a total capacity of 10.3 gigawatts, down 80% from the same period last year. China leads the world in solar and wind power installations but the government has said that coal plants are still needed for periods of peak demand because wind and solar power are less reliable.