Diamond discusses the issues facing China in his twelfth chapter of Collapse which he rightfully calls, "China, Lurching Giant".
Chapter 12 begins on page 358 of Diamond's book.
Chapter 12 begins on page 358 of Diamond's book.
"Due to limited resources, poor geological mining conditions, natural disaster, environment-based restrictions, and water limitations, only one-third the rate of current coal production in China can be considered rational; the other two-thirds exceeds sustainable capacity and can be considered over-exploitation"
- CornerStone: Official Journal of the World Coal Industry
The above statement echoes the warnings made by Diamond.