cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/46219067
China is likely to see its emissions fall this year, despite rising power demand, as it continues to build out renewable power at unparalleled speed, a new analysis finds.
Nobody can believe any number comming from China
True. I do believe they’re focused on renewables though, because they produce little or no oil and don’t want to be dependent on others or vulnerable via the Strait of Hormuz. They have plenty of coal but they know they can’t rely on it because the air pollution will kill them all.
I don’t think the killing them all part is necessarily a motivator. Perhaps more so that solar and wind have become price competitive, and that investing in renewables have the additional benefit of helping China lead in these crucial areas.
Solar has become price competitive largely because of innovation and commodification in Chinese manufacture of solar panels. Their centrally managed economy prioritized this when their major cities became engulfed in deadly clouds of air pollution from coal plants. The CCP understand that human labor is their primary resource. They don’t protect people out of caring, but out of self preservation.
At least they didn’t elect their evil overlords, but I guess this isn’t the place for complaints about politics. At the very least, I’m not anti-democracy, just very scared that America has re-elected the worst decision they ever made.
Capitalism, on the other hand, has clearly proven a terrible choice of economy for long-term health of humanity, regardless of whether the government lived under is authoritarian or democratic. Some of my favorite things in life have been capitalist in origin, but they were not worth the direction we’re heading.
Self preservation isn’t selfish. Nobody sane wants to see somebody else die for no reason, and almost everyone has a family or a group of friends they care about, however limited or fake. Collapse helps nobody, look at what happened to Russia, and if society would collapse not even capitalism would survive. Too many executives can’t afford the price of assuring their own safety for them to just carry on into a cyberpunk or industrial-feudalist society.
It also builds coal power plants. How is it going to reduce emissions exactly?
