According to a U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China, which held a series of Issues Roundtables in late 2004, it was estimated that 12 Chinese mine workers die for every million tons of coal produced. Most are killed by methane gas explosions while inside the coal mines. China Business Weekly reported in July 2000, To prevent gas explosions, China emits 6 billion cubic meters of methane from mines annually, seriously polluting the environment Last year, instruments on the worlds largest environment-monitoring satellite, the European Space Agencys Envisat, revealed the worlds largest amount of nitrogen dioxide was hanging over Beijing and northeastern China. Because the country emits more methane from its coal mining than any other coal producing country, China pollutes the earths atmosphere with about one-third of the total annual emissions of methane. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, methane traps heat twenty times more than carbon dioxide, which impacts global warming.
On March 6th, Peoples Daily reported, Shanxi, Chinas largest coal-producing province, plans to put the brakes on the further expansion of coal mining in the next five...