China switched on 21 gigawatts of new coal power capacity in the first half of this year, the highest since 2016, according to a recent energy report. This came after electricity demand hit a historic high in July, driven by extreme heatwaves. Hydropower faltered, and coal plants were fired up to meet the load.
At first glance, this looks like a step backwards for climate policy. But China’s clean-energy engine is still accelerating, adding 212GW of solar power capacity in the first six months,…
