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Analysis: China’s clean energy pushes coal to record-low 53% share of power in May 2024 (www.carbonbrief.org)

submitted 2 months ago by naturalgasbad@lemmy.ca to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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[-] naturalgasbad@lemmy.ca 31 points 2 months ago

The proportion of China's electricity produced from fossil fuels (56%) is now lower than it is in the US (60%). What an absolutely MONSTROUS performance.

[-] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml -3 points 2 months ago

Of all the things to turn into a nation-v-nation contest, saving our shared atmosphere is the silliest.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 months ago

If it drives more investment, I'm all for it.

[-] frippa@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yea, wish we had a green race just like we had a space race during the 1st cold war, at leadt something useful would come out of it.

[-] match@pawb.social 6 points 2 months ago

oh shit, "we are losing the green race" is excellent propaganda

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

The space race also created all sorts of new materials and technologies, but renewables would be more directly applicable.

[-] arin@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

We need more geen contests!! We're already reaching 1.5°C global warming faster than expected.

[-] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

We have already reached 1.5°C

[+] Fizz@lemmy.nz -18 points 2 months ago

Yea but the us and most of the west has actually reduced its emission growth while China continues to increase with no signs of stopping.

China hides behind the label of developing nation to avoid taking responsibility for climate change.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 24 points 2 months ago

That's also largely because the US has outsourced polluting industries to places like China. So reducing emissions while increasing industry and physical production is harder, but it looks like China is working towards it.

[+] Fizz@lemmy.nz -12 points 2 months ago

How is that relevant? China accepting polluting industry is chinas problem. The only reason companies want to move to China is because they know China doesn't give a fucj about the environment and are happy to ruin the world for a dollar. That's not other countries fault its chinas fault.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 months ago

Because if China is holding steady on fossil fuels while absorbing polluting industries, other countries like the US have no excuse at all.

[-] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

Because other countries give a fck about the environment lol

[-] naturalgasbad@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 months ago

The rapid growth in power generation from solar shows that the solar capacity boom is delivering new electricity supplies at a scale sufficient to cover much of China’s demand growth.

This reinforces the view that China’s CO2 emissions are in a period of structural decline.

"I didn't read the article but I'm a racist fuck who hates yellow people"

[-] Alsephina@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago

"Hides behind" you say when it is indeed a developing nation lmao

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz -5 points 2 months ago

Bro they are the biggest economy in the world, they have modern infrastructure, a middle class. If they are still developing then we can call every nation a developing nation.

[-] cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago

I think you underestimate just how many people are in China and how much development actually needs to happen in order to meet their needs. The urbanization rate of China is still lower than most developed nations despite the massive amounts of construction they’ve done in recent years.

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz -3 points 2 months ago

Climate change doesn't care if China has 2 billion people.

We need to reduce emissions and I'm sick of hearing people defend China's year on year exponential increasing of emissions because they're a "developing country" they're wealthy enough to take the economic hit that comes with reducing emissions. The rest of the world is trying and all that effort is for nothing if China doesn't participate.

[-] sandbox@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

dude, they very clearly are working on reducing their emissions. they’re rolling out renewables faster than any other country. you are behaving as though you just want any excuse to blame china for what is a global issue, if anything, countries like the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, Australia, NZ, Korea and Japan deserve as much or probably much more of the blame, but seem to be doing relatively little.

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 17 points 2 months ago

Record low share but still record high(ish) quantity.

Even with everything China is impressively doing its not fast enough to keep up with current power demand growth (hopefully just short-term, decades).

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

So is coal power production going down, or are renewables growing faster?

Edit: looks like they're still adding coal capacity

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 8 points 2 months ago

Yes, that edit.

Im not trying to be hard on renewables at all, just that in terms of greenhouse gases we are still dumping more and more of them into the air. Just the growth of our carbon farts is a bit slower.

The power demand growth is insane, and the cost might be too high.

[-] naturalgasbad@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago

IIRC China does not yet see an easy way to solve the whole "in the winter the sun shines less" problem... So here we are.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

Nuclear is pretty good for base load, but they're building may of those too.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 months ago

China already has far lower emissions per capita than most western countries, especially so compared to US.

[-] PanArab@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 months ago

But the Chinese people have no right to live as Americans. Obama said so.

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago

Yes, def (tho recent beef & pork ghg emissions have actually closed the gap considerably). Murikan boomers lived reckless lives on account of (global) future generations in so many ways.

I was merely pointing out the scales, how giant absolute numbers both in actual emissions & actual growth we are talking about.