China Installed More Solar Panels Last Year Than the U.S. Has in Total::China installed more new solar capacity last year than the total amount ever installed in any other country.

  • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    2 years ago

    Currently seeing the US climate narrative shift from “why should we stop burning fossils and get our shit together when China won’t? >:(” to “why should we stop burning fossils and get our shit together when Senegal won’t? >:(” Can’t wait for 20 years from now when we’re balls deep in climate disasters, Senegal gets its shit together, and the US narrative moves to honduras El Salvador Uganda comparing itself to the Philippines.

    Holy crap you guys, it turns out that the narrative that the developing world is going to burn an ass-ton of fossil fuels is a lot weaker than I thought. It looks like there’s a fuckton of equatorial and global south countries with renewables/hydro power, Honduras is even adding Geothermal. God damn it, USA, get off your ass and fix your shit already.

    • rusticus@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 years ago

      We’ve moved from 17% to 40% of total energy production coming from renewables since 2020. Thanks to Biden policies. Even though according to reddit he’s an incontinent dementia patient.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 years ago

      China needs a fuckload of power, they are building more of everything including coal. The only reason they aren’t building more coal is people like seeing out their windows.

      The US is actually winding down coal use. China is still expanding, this is a problem. The fact China also added a ton of solar panels is a nice distraction.

      • redcalcium@lemmy.institute
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        I’m not so sure about that. China is about to ramp up solar even more. They build a lot of solar and battery-related factories and secured mining rights for solar and battery raw elements in Asia and Africa in the past few years, sometimes to the point of fighting with the displaced locals (China tend to bring their own workers from mainland instead of employing local workers).

      • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        I seem to have been working on old info, as China has decommissioned 70 GW of coal plants, but it looks like they also just approved a whole lot more of them.

        From Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/chinas-coal-country-full-steam-ahead-with-new-power-plants-despite-climate-2023-11-30/#:~:text=After 2025%2C it is unclear,and are phasing out plants.

        In the third quarter of this year, however, China permitted more new coal plants than in all of 2021, according to Greenpeace, even as most countries have stopped building new coal-fired power and are phasing out plants.

        Well, shit.

        Anyway, I’m glad for the solar and nuclear capacity (LOTS of it!) that China’s been building. I’m glad to hear that we are spinning down coal capacity, but I’d be interested to learn what we’re replacing it with. It seems like natural gas is all the rage these days, and that still produces GHG emissions.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipBanned from community
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      2 years ago

      Renewables may be more plausible for some developing countries because of lack of competency or administrative consistency (sometimes to the degree of stealing everything which isn’t nailed to the floor) for centralized grid with a few big producers, and weak infrastructure in general.

      But of course it would be good if some things weren’t stagnating in countries without such factors.

      • fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        It’s also easier to justify adopting newer tech in places that are less developed. If you made a billion dollar investment and are still paying for it, it’s harder to scrap it and pivot.

  • psychothumbs@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    2 years ago

    Fantastic. Remember guys, we’re all on the same side on this one. This should be a signal for the US to get its ass in gear to do the same, but it’s not like China expanding its renewable energy capacity is anything but great for everyone.

    • Nesola@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      2 years ago

      That is producing for the rest of the world and especially for the west. It’s hypocritical to blame china while buying stuff that had to be cheaper and cheaper.

      • RememberTheApollo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        No, it’s not hypocritical. Yes, anyone with half a brain knows China makes a huge chunk of the world’s stuff.

        A nation can make choices as to what energy sources they use and China went balls to the wall with coal. That wasn’t a choice the buyers of Chinese products made.

        • Land_Strider@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          2 years ago

          Lol look what they are spending the money they earn from those industries. At least they are not solely funding decades long genocide but actually doing something about the emissions they take on.

      • Rampsquatch@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 years ago

        The average consumer doesn’t actually have a choice in the matter. Unless you are wealthy enough to purchase only local artisan made goods near everything you can afford is made in China or made in China adjacent.

        • Cethin@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          That’s not really the point. The point is their emissions will be higher because they’re producing all the stuff everyone else purchases. The production is what creates pollution. If they stopped producing then other countries would and they would increase their pollution.

          It’s not saying don’t buy products from China. It’s saying China polluted because things are bought from them. The pollution would be wherever production is taking place.

          • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            2 years ago

            Did you forget about the existence of regulations to control the pollution that manufacturing is allowed to produce? How about the countries who are allowing pollution to happen on a ridiculous scale fix their environmental regulations? It’s not like they are under the rule of the USA and have to pollute because we say so.

        • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 years ago

          You could simply not purchase as much crap. Half of the factories that supply the West’s goods would go out of business if people stopped buying new phones and shitty plastics every full moon.

      • Gigan@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        2 years ago

        I don’t think that absolves China of any blame. They’re still choosing to produce cheap goods at the expense of the planet, because it’s good business for them too.

        • essteeyou@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 years ago

          If not them then it’d be someone else. Clearly they’re starting to take polluting seriously.

          If you look at CO2 emissions per capita then China is actually doing better than countries like Canada, the US, and Singapore. Assuming I haven’t completely misread that table.

          • wikibot@lemmy.worldB
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 years ago

            Here’s the summary for the wikipedia article you mentioned in your comment:

            This is a list of sovereign states and territories by per capita carbon dioxide emissions due to certain forms of human activity, based on the EDGAR database created by European Commission. The following table lists the 1970, 1990, 2005, 2017 and 2022 annual per capita CO2 emissions estimates (in kilotons of CO2 per year). The data only consider carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and cement manufacture, but not emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry Over the last 150 years, estimated cumulative emissions from land use and land-use change represent approximately one-third of total cumulative anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Emissions from international shipping or bunker fuels are also not included in national figures, which can make a large difference for small countries with important ports. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report finds that the “Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU)” sector on average, accounted for 13-21% of global total anthropogenic GHG emissions in the period 2010–2019.

            to opt out, pm me ‘optout’. article | about

          • PatFusty@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            2 years ago

            CO2 emissions are carefully curated and we are not even that good at calculating them. I wouldn’t trust any of this info coming from China let alone from any nation.

              • PatFusty@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                Big dog 2 months… If you knew how companies figure out their pollution metrics you would be very sad.

                As for a better metric, I don’t know. Everything is tied to cost so it’s really dumb

                • nednobbins@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Not sure why you’re so hung up on dogs or 2 months. The thread still shows up in searches and you’re clearly getting updates on it. Unless there’s some evidence to suggest the information in this thread is now obsolete, there’s no reason not to respond.

                  @esteeyou@lemmy.world made a claim and provided evidence. Unless there’s better evidence to the contrary it’s reasonable to accept the claim. My children sometimes still respond to arguments with, “Nuh uh.” I generally expect more from adults.

        • nednobbins@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Production will always have some waste and pollution. China has high pollution because we do a lot of production there. As I pointed out above, on both a per-capita and a per-production basis China pollutes less than many industrialized nations (US. Germany, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan) and many developing nations (Singapore, Malaysia).

          Given current manufacturing data, moving production out of China to other countries would likely increase pollution.

    • SeaJ@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      Only way many western countries were able to slow their rise in CO2 emissions. Despite outsourcing their emissions to China, the US still emits twice the CO2 per capita compared with China.

    • nednobbins@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      A lot of people don’t realize how quickly China is changing. Things that were true just a few decades ago are often no longer true.

      Once China decided that pollution was a problem they went all in on addressing it. China has massive reforestation projects, huge incentives to switch to EVs, and much tighter energy efficiency standards.

      Solar isn’t even their only renewable energy source. China gets about equal amounts from solar, wind and hydro https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/energy-transition/013124-coal-still-accounted-for-nearly-60-of-chinas-electricity-supply-in-2023-cec together they make up a little less than half of their total energy production and the ratio keeps improving. correction: those are projected ratios, not current ratios.

      Of course, on a per capita basis, China isn’t even close to being a top polluter. Unless you think that people in smaller countries deserve to pollute more, per-capita is the better measurement. China looks a little worse if you do that but it’s still far from a top polluter by that metric.

    • Rooter@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      87% of China’s energy comes from non renewable and they aren’t one of the most polluting. They ARE the most polluted country on the planet.

      And saying China leads the way is bogus. Per capita for renewable they are one of the worst.

      Saying China made the most solar panels is bullshit when they have over a billion people, the USA is actually far ahead of China when it comes to renewable energy.

      I expect nothing less from a news site that has been caught multiple times in the past for spouting pseudoscience.

    • angrymouse@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      Actually they are poluting for you to buy your stuff cheaper, who is responsible for the polution of your stuff? Dowa not make any sense to blame them for factories that the west choosed to put there.

  • Altofaltception@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    2 years ago

    There’s a reason the US is targeting China from various fronts (trade restrictions, sanctions, etc.). China is a powerhouse and the US is terrified of being left behind.

    • sir_reginald@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      I don’t get why you’re getting dowvoted. I guess there are a lot of Americans over here. But your statement is absolutely true. The US attempts at restricting China’s access to various technologies only make sense if they feel threatened by them.

      • wikibot@lemmy.worldB
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        Here’s the summary for the wikipedia article you mentioned in your comment:

        The Thucydides Trap, or Thucydides’ Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon. The term exploded in popularity in 2015 and primarily applies to analysis of China–United States relations. Supporting the thesis, Allison led a study at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs which found that, among a sample of 16 historical instances of an emerging power rivaling a ruling power, 12 ended in war. That study, however, has come under considerable criticism, and scholarly opinion on the value of the Thucydides Trap concept—particularly as it relates to a potential military conflict between the United States and China—remains divided.

        to opt out, pm me ‘optout’. article | about

    • Wanderer@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      China is doing a lot of shady stuff though.

      If the US really wanted to resolve it they would do more about patient infringement and spend more money on research.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    2 years ago

    Good. I assume it helps that most of the world’s solar panel manufacturing is based in China.

    The rest of the world should be ramping up production, not relying on China for cheap labour.

    • fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      2 years ago

      I keep seeing more and more about the solar production in Georgia, USA ramping up!

      It great to see the world really going into green industrialzation.

      • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        2 years ago

        Cool part is we’ve got a functional safety system like OSHA so everyone goes home with all their fingers and toes, and the EPA keeps the nearby creeks from getting contaminated.

        Can’t say the same for other countries, troubled and fucked up as our country is.

          • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 years ago

            Those are obviously bad, the superfund sites.

            You know how when you’re the first to do something, you’re also the first to make mistakes?

            Imagine knowing the results of being careless, and being careless anyway. 😂 What’s wrong with you??

            To be clear: I believe most people anywhere want to be safe, and do a good job. Their administrators and governmental reps are the pieces of dogshit, ccp included, that ignore safety and individuality. The US has serious problems too, but again, we have safety organizations with teeth here.

    • Sippy Cup@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      Let’s install solar panels on the moon! That’ll fucking show them. Beam the energy back to earth with giant fucking microwave dishes. Ohhh that would really piss off them damn reds

  • Kawawete@reddeet.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    2 years ago

    And opened more coal plants too lol, don’t be quick in praising the CCP, there’s always something shady in the background…

    • Nix@merv.news
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      “The United States occupies a total area of about 3.8 million square miles while China has an area of approximately 3.7million square miles. However, China has a bigger land area than the United States. The Chinese land area is about 2.2% bigger than the United States (3.5 million square miles).“

    • Poutinetown@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      True, now I expect Canada to install more solar panels than China has in total.

  • Fades@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    You can thank conservatives for that. They are beholden to fossil fuel interests so they attack everything else whether it be solar energy or ev

  • randon31415@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    Building giant empty cities in the middle of nowhere doesn’t help the housing crisis in China.

    Building giant solar and wind farms in the middle of nowhere does help with the pollution crisis.

    Glad that they finally found something that uses dumping money in the middle of nowhere that can actually improve peoples lives instead of just prop up an economic bubble.

  • simonced@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    But they still have their crazy mines that polute right? No number of solar pannel will change anything if you don’t stop what you are doing that polutes.
    Same for all countries btw…

    • Darkhoof@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      China is installing more energy production than any other country. Wind, solar, coal and nuclear. They are installing everything.

    • banneryear1868@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      2 years ago

      China pollutes so much because the biggest consumer economy in the world deindustrialized and outsourced manufacturing to them.

      • 52fighters@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        China pollutes so much because George HW Bush and Bill Clinton pushed American jobs to China so CEOs could make bank on huge profits on cheap labor, unsafe work places, and near zero environmental regulation that was impossible in the United States. We built China by disregarding worker rights and the environment and we are paying for it dearly.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    Its because China isn’t beholden to a bunch of invisible suits demanding money over all else. Apparently the US can’t break from Citizens United, and tell this corpos whats what to literally save its own skin.

    • PatFusty@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      Lol XDDDDD

      Thinking China isn’t beholden to an invisible elite is the laugh I needed today

      How did their presidential election go again?

      • 2952 votes for

      • 0 votes against

      • 0 votes abstain

      • kurwa@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        China is from from perfect, missing tons of freedoms like speech. However do you think they have the same issues as the US regarding wealth hoarding? They have put billionaires in jail.

      • Sanctus@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        Pooh with an iron mit is not the same as the invisible kings of the countless corporations donating their free speech to our government. They are beholden to Whinnie, and he is out in the open. Yes, there are still a lot of economical politics over there. Yes, there is still capitalistic pressures and businesses are allowed to operate. Do they define money as free speech over there? Did they capture bribery and bind it to the law? I don’t know, but I do know that is true for the US, and it is the reason you won’t see enough renewables being built. Its the reason we will drag our feet to our graves, because it makes some dudes richer than god.