Regi0 t1_itgovqb wrote on October 23, 2022 at 2:54 PM

Reply to comment by toweringpine in China is building a 40 gigawatt offshore wind farm, the biggest power plant in existence by mutherhrg

Investing in more renewable energy hardly means anything if they are increasing carbon emissions simultaneously.

circumtopia t1_iti1jzi wrote on October 23, 2022 at 8:13 PM

But their share of energy using coal has been decreasing dramatically over the past decade.

Regi0 t1_iti9pgn wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:04 PM

Again, bizarre that their carbon emissions are *INCREASING* if their alleged coal usage is going down.

circumtopia t1_itic0d4 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:19 PM

It's not going down in absolute terms but it's certainly going down as a % of their total energy usage. Their electricity usage is spiking because they are making more and more shit.

Regi0 t1_iticani wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:21 PM

Exactly, consumerism is increasing, not decreasing. The west demands more and more, so China must produce more and more, for cheap, polluting their part of the world exponentially. It's like an ouroboros. Both superpowers are equally at fault for the state of our planet.

circumtopia t1_itifufn wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:45 PM

That's absurd to claim considering the US has double the emissions per capita and has also produced way more emissions throughout its history than China (and benefited from this disregard for the environment).

Even today the most consumerist society on the planet is the US. Period. Demand creates supply not the other way around. If Americans didn't demand a new big TV screen every few years then the Chinese would not build it.