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.
We tried capitalism and democracy.
It failed.
If other countries burn up all the fossil fuels, then China opting out won’t change anything in the long run, other than the worst consequences being slightly delayed. Which is not nothing if it gives some countries a bit longer to prepare and they take advantage of that, but I suspect most won’t.
The Chinese know that crude oil is running out; and when that happens, that’s going to be it. The best time to get out of the oil game is now; because when it comes down to the last few million litres, the fighting over it is going to get intense. And the further away anyone is from that action when it goes down, the better for them. We’ve all seen what happens when a tanker delivery to a single filling station is delayed.
You really can’t blame the Chinese government for trying to stave off some of the worst effects of an absolutely predictable event.
(Alternatively, maybe they are just sick of the rest of the fossil-fuel-addicted world saying “but look how much coal China burns!” in a vain attempt to justify their own fossil fuel usage …..)
Your attributing too much planning ahead to the government of China if you think their primary concern is global warming. Their primary concern is that they have to import energy to get by. There isn’t enough hydro power or coal, and the coal they have produces a lot of smoke. So they have to import oil in vast amounts. Russia has used that in the past to leverage concessions out of China and their economy is tied to global oil prices. For simple political and economic reasons they want enough wind and solar to reduce their dependence on imports to a minimum.
The long term benefits just make it look better. Prices of oil will rise as sources begin to run out and helping global warming is good for China long term.
Exactly. The “why” is not even important. Becoming less dependent on a scarce and dwindling commodity that has to be imported can only be a good thing for China. The fact that solar and wind energy also happen to be clean is just a bit of a bonus. They just want to be in a better place when the oil wells do start running dry, prices start rising and dirty tricks commence.
The real question is, why aren’t we in the West doing more to get off our oil habit? The fossil fuel barons must know their free money source is not going to last forever, and then whatever renewable energy generating capacity we’ve built in the meantime is all there is from then on.
Because the people selling the oil are using the money they make to buy our weapons so they can oppress their populations and threaten their neighbours. All part of the game. A game China isn’t playing.