Because China’s energy needs are large and growing, the country has little choice but to continue to mine and burn coal. The Chinese government has mandated that all new plants will employ scrubbers and other technologies and that all existing plants are to be retrofitted by 2010. In addition, Chinese energy efficiency (the amount of energy used to produce electricity, etc.) lags far behind European, Japanese, and American rates. Chinese leaders promist (sic) to address this. Earlier pledges, however, have not been kept. For example, in 2002 it decreed that sulfur output would be reduced by 10%. It’s since risen by 27%.