China reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by more than two-thirds in past 15 years
China has dramatically reduced local air pollution levels — particularly in its biggest cities — in the last decade.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/172650
It's offset by their CO2 emissions, which almost tripled in the last 20 years,
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/CHN/china/carbon-co2-emissions
Their greenhouse gas emissions increased six fold.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/CHN/china/ghg-greenhouse-gas-emissions
But it's a small step for hankind
But it's a small step for hankind
Oh you
That was my thought and honest it doesn't offset, CO2 emissions are probably worst for the planet at this moment.
I'm not even sure that they are aware that they did something environmentally good, probably is not a good idea to let them know, 'cause there is some chance that they decide revert it. If there are no financial gains they probably aren't interested.
This is a criticism to their government not their people.
You can't expect them to make all your shit, make the most progress in the world towards green energy while being a country with rising wealth and the most people on Earth and still be reducing their emissions, can you?
Yes I can. The point about climate change is that there's a capitalist incentive to produce in the lowest price area. Greedy companies are moving production there, I as a consumer have only limited power over what I can buy and from where.
All the world needs to get behind that, because otherwise we sustain terrible practices. That's not Utopic, that's in order to maintain what we have.
As it stands it's epic that china is front runner in electric mobility, whereas the USA is moving backwards on that. But I assure you that the main motivator there isn't environmentalism.
They are doing fantastic with electric car adoption too. Incredibly progressive in that area with other countries still stuck to their antiquated reliance on gas vehicles and still trying to prop up that industry.
They are doing fantastic with electric car adoption too. Incredibly progressive in that area with other countries still stuck to their antiquated reliance on gas vehicles and still trying to prop up that industry.
I'm all for the electrification of cars in China, but don't think for a second its because they're concerned about climate change. China doesn't have the vast petroleum reserves of most other large nations. This means if they continue to have their energy needs in control by other nations, it will always be a national vulnerability, so they are seeking ways to hedge against decoupling from world energy markets.
If you want to otherwise continue to think China is fully committed to green energy, don't look at how much domestic coal China has, nor how much China continues to increase its consumption.
Keep in mind, I'm not throwing shade on China. This is geopolitics. If it was the USA in the same situation, I'd be saying the same thing.
Yes china has a lot of coal power. They also have a really fucking lot of solar. They are also currently in the process of installing twice as much as the whole rest of the world combined. The huge amount of renewables they've installed has lead to some analysis pointing to the potential that they have now reached peak CO2 output.
Whether the motivation is energy security, reducing costs or green policy it doesn't matter. At the end of the day the results are the same.
(now if they could just quit the whole genocide and repression of human rights that would be fab)
Well, you are throwing shade on China, just for a reason.
Yeah, unfortunately that's subsidized by resource exploitation and slave labor...
Dont forget strip mining the Amazon Rainforest at a positively Soviet scale of devastation.
The Strait of Malacca creates an Achilles heel for China’s imports were there a conflict. Energy independence is a key to autonomy for that reason, so they are aggressively shifting away from internal combustion engines in cars.
I applaud them... If true.
They don't have a track record (at least around the west) of telling the whole truth.
