Historical
Before the year 1978, China had been an isolated country that had slow technological growth and almost no industry.
They were mostly agrarian and got most of their income from farming products such as rice.
The first two decades following the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 was marked by periods of substantial growth in per capita GDP growth, the growth of output per person, followed by sharp reversals.
However, in 1978, China adopted an open door policy with countries in terms of exchanging goods and ideas. This lead to a fast pace of economic development and created a country that is now an industrial powerhouse. With its industry department growing so rapidly, China energy requirements skyrocketed. ​
For a period of time, China and the United States led the world in carbon emissions, both countries extremely dependent on coal and oil.
Due to the results of scientific study towards climate change and the smog crisis in the country, China has now committed to finding cleaner and better ways of obtaining their high energy demands.
Though China still receives much of its energy from non-renewable fossil fuels, they have made a drastic effort to resort to energy sources such as hydroelectric power, wind, and solar energy. The consumption of these resources however is how China really makes their contribution to cut back on carbon emissions.
Fun Fact!
Chinese people use less energy per capita than Americans!​
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China: Population= 1,285 Million/Per Capita Total Primary Energy Consumption= 33.3 million BTU
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USA: Population= 285 Million/Per Capita Total Primary Energy Consumption= 339.2 million BTU