Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Why China is serious about de-coaling

This article from the Guardian makes it abundantly clear why China wants to move to renewables.  It's not just that China is now the major source of CO2 emissions, which they know (they have no demented right-wing press to gainsay them, like we have in the West) will cause immense problems for China (drought, flood, rising seas levels: Shanghai is an average of just 4 metres above sea level) but also the air is filthy.  The Chinese authorities mean business.  Of course, the other huge advantage of renewables is that it provides energy security.  Most of the top 10 solar panel and wind  turbine manufacturers are Chinese.

Their plans to switch to renewables are real.  And our excuse to do nothing about CO2 emissions  ("Well, China's not doing anything, and they emit much more than we do") are now hollow.  Coal is finished.

A Chinese man wears an anti-pollution mask near the China Central Television building in Beijing.

No comments:

Post a Comment