China, the world’s biggest polluter, at risk of missing climate targets, new report finds.

China, the world’s top carbon polluter, is at risk of falling short on its climate targets after approving dozens of new coal plants, according to research published Thursday.

In an effort to bring planet-heating pollution to a peak by 2030, China has vowed to “strictly control” new coal-fired generation capacity, and has also connected record numbers of new wind and solar plants to its grid.

But after a wave of electricity shortages in 2021, it also embarked on a coal power permitting boom that could slow its energy transition, according to analysis by US think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

In just two years, the country has approved 218 GW of new coal power, enough to supply electricity to the whole of Brazil.