Just before coronavirus struck Wuhan in late 2019, it was business as usual across Asia for the unstoppable expansion of coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels. The region had become a final refuge for the coal power industry, amid steady pressure elsewhere for governments to take action on pollution and carbon emissions and the shifting economics of power generation. ‘Coal is still king in Southeast Asia’s power market,’ according to an energy consultancy. A year later, that was no longer true.

• Tags: China, Coal, Issue 24, Tom Baxter