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44 Coal

Top 10 Coal-Producing Nations The top nations for coal production, with annual production amounts, are as follows (annual amounts are averaged over recent years): • China: 3,000 million tons (2,700 million metric tons) • United States: 1,000 million tons (900 million metric tons)

• India: 600 million tons (540 million metric tons) • Australia: 410 million tons (370 million metric tons) • Russia: 310 million tons (280 million metric tons) • Indonesia: 270 million tons (245 million metric tons) • South Africa: 270 million tons (245 million metric tons) • Poland: 150 million tons (135 million metric tons) • Kazakhstan: 110 million tons (99 million metric tons) • Colombia: 85 million tons (77 million metric tons)

United States is exporting pollution by sending this “dirty fuel” to other nations where environmental laws are less strict. Supporters of coal, meanwhile, argue that it is a vast and valuable North American natural resource and that the coal industry should be allowed to evolve new methods and technologies.