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.
I don’t think there is such a thing as too fast in this regard, but I think the biggest limiting factor right now is the US. Their global hegemony is waning and they’re deeply invested in oil since that’s largely where the value of the US dollar comes from. I worry that WWIII will get started as a last-ditch attempt to maintain supremacy when renewable energy begins to seriously replace fossil fuels.
To me the process is:
- Kill capitalist hegemony
- Transition resources in this newly (relatively) peaceful world towards R&D
- Pull a scientific rabbit out the hat, deus ex machina, pull up from the nosedive last second, OR if the cataclysmic processes are deep already, just do our best to undo the damage.
We already have the (fledgling) technologies to suck carbon our of the air, to revive extinct species, to terraform, etc., its just a matter of having a geopolitical situation that is comfortable enough to dedicate the necessarily massive amounts of resources towards them.
I know this seems like cope a little, and sure it might be, but I find it to be very plausible. Even if just for my present sanity, I find it good to bank my faith on this hypothetical chain of events.
No I do not think China is moving fast enough with energy transition, it my main criticism of Chinese energy planning.
