Changes

'''Energy Watch Group:''' In 2007, Energy Watch Group, a private research group initiated by the German member of parliament Hans-Josef Fell, completed an analysis of worldwide reserve figures.<ref>[http://www.peakoil.net/files/EWG-Coalreport_10_07_2007.pdf "Coal: Resources and Future Production,"] Energy Watch Group 3/07</ref> The study concluded that "data quality of coal reserves and resources is poor, both on global and national levels." Although published reserve figures were lowered by 50 percent between 1980 and 2005, the study argued that the worldwide reserve estimates still appeared to be too high. For exampleIn a number of countries, China's official coal careful evaluation of published reserve figures have not been revised since had resulted in 1992a downgrading of those figures, "in spite of the fact that about 20 often by 90 percent of their then stated reserves have been produced since thenor more." For example:

* Germany: In 2004, without explanation, Germany downgraded its estimate of proven hard coal reserves from 23 billion tons to 0.183 billion tons, a ''99 percent'' reduction. * Poland:* England:* Botswana: Another problem was that published figures had not been revised to account for production over time. For example, China's official coal reserve figures have not been revised since in 1992, "in spite of the fact that about 20 percent of their then stated reserves have been produced since then."  Only two countries have increased their reserve estimates: India, from 12.6 million tons (Mt) of hard coal in 1987 to 90 Mt in 2005, and Australia, from 29 Mt of hard coal in 1987 to 38.6 Mt in 2005. The study predicted that "global coal production may still increase over the next 10 to 15 years by about 30 percent, mainly driven by Australia, China, the Former Soviet Union countries (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan) and South Africa. Production will then reach a plateau and will eventually decline thereafter." Peak production would occur around 2025 and would fall to roughly half the current level by the end of the century.