How else is the US supposed to keep up with China? They are building new nuclear + coal plants every week.
"There are no rich, low energy countries"
"There are no rich, low energy countries"
[1] Both numbers on page 14: https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/09/China-Energy-Tr...
Besides, if the cost of keeping up with China is breathing deadly coal smoke, I’m not sure the decision is as obvious as you make it seem.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-...
https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-china-is-still-bu...
In terms of coal its usage has started to decrease in actual terms since the start of 2025. All demand growth and more is solved by new built renewables and storage.