I have a new column this week on OnlySky. It’s about the looming disaster of climate change, and how many nations are decarbonizing at the scale required. Arguably, there’s only one – and that one is China.
In the past few years, China has been installing more renewable energy than the rest of the world combined. If we have any chance of saving the planet from the worst outcomes of the climate crisis, it may well be because of Beijing. And, lest I be mistaken, that’s not what we should want! It’s infinitely preferable that the future be written by a liberal democracy, not an authoritarian one-party state.
But the U.S. has ceded its leadership role in world affairs, very likely for good. We’re in the throes of vicious anti-scientific propaganda that’s robbed us of the will to act. Meanwhile, China’s rulers seem to be among the few who recognize the scope of the problem and are willing to do something about it. The shocking thing isn’t that they’re taking action, but that so few other countries are showing the same urgency.
Read the excerpt below, then click through to see the full piece. This column is free to read, but paid members of OnlySky get some extra perks, like member-only posts and a subscriber newsletter:
In the first half of 2025, China deployed more solar power than the rest of the world—combined. In that time, humanity as a whole installed 380 gigawatts of new solar capacity, of which China accounted for 256 gigawatts. Almost two-thirds!
This isn’t a fluke, but the continuation of a trend. Similarly, in 2024, the world installed 600 GW of solar power. Of that number, China accounted for 329 GW. The U.S. was far behind in second place, with a measly 50 GW. Most other countries installed far less.
The scale of China’s ambition can be seen in the desert of northwestern Xinjiang, where they’ve constructed the biggest solar farm in the world. It’s almost 33,000 acres, about the size of Paris, with a total capacity of 3.5 gigawatts. It’s big enough to power a small country by itself.
This massive build-out of renewables is having an effect. Studies suggest that China’s carbon emissions are beginning to fall, without any reduction in economic activity.
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