New apartment blocks in Dongsheng, part of Ordos city, Inner Mongolia. In 2008 China officially became the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, largely driven by its ever increasing demand for energy most of which is met by producing electricity from coal fired power stations. A large part of China's carbon footprint is the construction industry. In most cities they are tearing down the old slums and replacing them with modern high rise apartment blocks. As they ever increasingly wealthy chinese families move into them their energy consumption rises as they purchase TV's, fridge's, freezers, etc. all of which consume energy.