As for the coal industry, it will do fine; plenty of places to export it to.
Really?
China coal consumption drops again
China’s coal consumption fell for the second year in a row, government data showed Monday, as the world’s biggest polluter attempts to tackle chronic pollution that accompanied economic growth.
Coal use fell 3.7% last year compared to 2014 levels, according to a report from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The drop follows a 2.9% decrease in 2014.
China’s rise to the world’s second largest economy was largely powered by cheap, dirty coal. As growth slows, the country has had a difficult time weaning itself off the fuel, even as the pollution it causes wreaks havoc on the environment and public health. Sooner or later, natural gas will become more scarce, and solar can't replace everything as a source; solar is itself dependent on certain kinds of raw material, and only two countries have it in any quantity.
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Nearly 300 Chinese cities failed to meet national standards for air quality last year, according to
a Greenpeace report.
The green group said that in 2015 generating capacity grew by a “stunning” 34% for wind power and 74% for solar power.
Looks to me like China, the prospective market for US coal, is weaning itself off of coal.