In recent years the politics of the climate crisis has changed shape. From a politics of distributing costs, it has morphed into the political economy of the energy transition - an industrial, economic and geopolitical race that is being driven by powerful policy interventions and a broad-based flow of investment and innovation. Leadership in the green energy race is now a prized objective of governments around the world.
China is going to continue the dirty businesses of mining for coal AND for the rare earths required by supposedly "green" tech. They are brutal realists when it comes to foreign policy and have no real concerns about global warming, other than making sure most of the costs are inflicted on others.
The Chinese government is in the business of maximizing power for the CCP, in this case literally. I don't know how you can be so naive on this. Particularly when you are numerate and every article you write on this topic is about how we aren't going to succeed in limiting global warming, anyway. If the goal we are trying to achieve is impossible, then the people directing us there anyway must have ulterior motives.
For some time I've been worried that the Biden administration's "All of the above" approach (which I believe is also being followed in many countries) means that even though we're making enormous progress in renewables, this won't translate into reductions in fossil-fuel use. So the data from China* is encouraging, but also concerning if their coal industry does have enough clout to strangle renewable development.
*net new additions of low-carbon electricity generation will likely exceed energy demand growth, meaning that China’s reliance on fossil fuels for power generation will decline.
China is going to continue the dirty businesses of mining for coal AND for the rare earths required by supposedly "green" tech. They are brutal realists when it comes to foreign policy and have no real concerns about global warming, other than making sure most of the costs are inflicted on others.
The Chinese government is in the business of maximizing power for the CCP, in this case literally. I don't know how you can be so naive on this. Particularly when you are numerate and every article you write on this topic is about how we aren't going to succeed in limiting global warming, anyway. If the goal we are trying to achieve is impossible, then the people directing us there anyway must have ulterior motives.
For some time I've been worried that the Biden administration's "All of the above" approach (which I believe is also being followed in many countries) means that even though we're making enormous progress in renewables, this won't translate into reductions in fossil-fuel use. So the data from China* is encouraging, but also concerning if their coal industry does have enough clout to strangle renewable development.
*net new additions of low-carbon electricity generation will likely exceed energy demand growth, meaning that China’s reliance on fossil fuels for power generation will decline.