China, Japan and South Korea—all historical backers of coal development outside their borders—have pledged to stop funding new coal plants, and yet the worldwide operational fleet of coal-fired power grew in 2021 by 18 GW, and as of December an additional 176 GW of coal capacity was under construction—about the same as the year before
This photo taken on November 15, 2021 shows the coal-powered Datang International Zhangjiakou Power Station in Zhangjiakou.​ (Credit: GREG BAKER/ AFP)