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China’s new green order (unherd.com)

submitted 4 days ago by JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world to c/china@sopuli.xyz

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An interesting even-handed article.

In Beijing’s view, whoever builds the clean-energy economy will write the rules of the next world order — just as the United States once did through oil, arms and the dollar. Decarbonisation, by this logic, is statecraft, not climate stewardship. Domestically, it doubles as an insurance policy, securing water, food, and energy on China’s terms before scarcity and climate shocks arrive.

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[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Okay for the recent figures, but much of the rest is just projections, as I mentioned.

As for the coal GW figures, they are dwarfed by the equivalents for solar, as you surely know. More than 250 GW for the same recent semester, it would seem.

And despite some improvements of air quality, Chinese cities are among the most polluted worldwide.

This is just not true any more, at least for the southern megacities where electrification of transport is in full swing. The AQI comparison with India in particular is now like night and day. Are you as concerned about India's lack of progress as you seem to be about China's imperfect progress?

On this latter front I personally have no need for statistics. I have recently breathed the air myself in central Shenzhen and Shanghai. Forget India, the better comparison these days is with Switzerland.

Whatever China's failings in politics and civil liberties (or lack thereof), I see no reason to deny the obvious truth here: in terms of both the energy transition and liveable cities - i.e. freed from the internal combustion engine - China is now leading the way globally. In comparison we in the West are hypocrites and failures.

[–] Sepia@mander.xyz 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As for the coal GW figures, they are dwarfed by the equivalents for solar, as you surely know. More than 250 GW for the same recent semester, it would seem.

No, they are not 'dwarfed' by the equivalents for solar, because a pollution is a pollution. If you burn coal in your plant this hurts the environment, not matter how many solar cells you install on your house.

And it is true that Chinese cities are among the most polluted in the world. In 2024, China ranked 21 (of 138 countries) in the list of the most polluted countries.

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Well, we will agree to disagree on the directionality aspect of all this. But that was otherwise an unexpectedly civil exchange, with data cited and no inane downvoting or insults. So others can make up their own minds. Good day to you.