Mongabay: A new chart by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows how China's coal habit has grown to such an extent that it now accounts for 46.9 percent of the world's consumption. In 2011 coal consumption hit 3.8 billion tons in China, making up nearly half the world's coal use of 8.1 billion tons. Coal comes with a number of environmental issues-including toxic air and water pollution-but the most pressing globally is climate change.
Burning coal is the world's most carbon intensive energy source....