Development in China has come at a price. During its rapid industrialisation, the country has come to utilise large amounts of coal for power generation, industrial boilers and domestic heating. Not much attention was paid to controlling soot and dust emissions, and still less to emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides – not to mention highly-toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium.
By contrast, natural gas is a cleaner fuel. It can be rendered nearly free of sulphur and other pollutants with relative ease. And for those who would link climate change to carbon dioxide releases, natural gas also produces less carbon dioxide per unit of energy released….[Full Text]