Just saw an article about coal consumption reaching an all time high this year. I know obviously China leads the world in population AND renewable energy, but they also lead it in coal consumption by a long shot. It’s alarming to me. How fast are they moving away from it? Is it fast enough?
What do we make of this? I don’t mean to be overly critical but it just seems like they’re moving way too slow to me, given that we have literally 10 years before we hit +1.5C.
If you complain about coal power this or that it simply falls on deaf ears because a significant part of the world doesn’t even have stable electricity. Something that affects the day-to-day life of the people. Something that is needed for development.
Electricity outages is felt sometimes in the West, during extraordinary weather events usually, but it is not a constant threat. This is what a lot of westerners struggle to grasp when it comes to environmental issues.
Development unfortunately requires these tough calls, which means succumbing to coal for the short term. Especially in the current political climate. Haphazardly banning certain energy sources, like some environmentalists clamour for, would do the opposite of actually mitigating climate change and would lead to far more harm than good.
Controlled phase outs are needed. China’s plan (NDC) for the past few years (which they reiterated time and time again) was a carbon emissions peak in 2030, and from their current 5 year plan, an espousal for a ‘ecological civilization’, I have high hopes that they’ll achieve their NDC.
But to answer your question: is it fast enough, ie. is their NDC ambitious enough?
According to this site, no it isn’t.
But again, we have to consider, the West still unequally benefits more from the environmental devastation of the global south. See for example, ecological unequal exchange and its role in core-periphery relations.
The burden is not only on global south nations, when western countries must not only fulfill their own NDCs but should also provide the necessary (unconditional) aid and financing to global south nations.