China's Contradiction: World's Biggest Clean Energy Producer And Biggest Polluter? | Insight

China is the undisputed global green tech leader. It has more solar capacity than all other countries combined. It is also leading the pack in wind power production. Unlike in the western hemisphere, climate change denial is rare in China, and the move to clean energy is an issue of national pride. At the same time, investments in green tech is in the hundreds of billions, and the next breakthrough could be just round the corner.

Yet, China continues to increase the use of coal, incongruous to its green ambitions. It had also threatened a solar trade ban, weaponising its dominance in the field. Why is the green energy revolution in China full of contradictions?

00:00 Introduction
03:04 12,000 mirrors making solar energy in the Gobi Desert
08:27 Why did China convert to clean energy?
12:06 Rural Chinese villages adopt clean energy
18:59 Glaring contradictions in China's green energy story
24:54 What is behind China's massive green tech investment?
31:52 China dominates green tech export, worrying other countries
36:30 Inside China's first environmentally-sustainable shopping mall
42:19 How do the Chinese feel about climate change?

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ABOUT THE SHOW: Insight investigates and analyses topical issues that impact Asia and the rest of the world.
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[davidlee]

There is no contradiction once you take into account their population size. The only fair way to measure carbon pollution is by per capita measurement. By that measure, China only pollutes half as much as the U.S. The real question is why western countries are such big polluters.

[AnAverageChinese]

1. China is the biggest polluter? China's emission per capita is only a half the emission in western countries. You are saying Chinese don't deserve to use the same amount of energy as westerners?

2. The western countries are the biggest polluter if we count from 200 years ago! The pollution of the earth is not done in one day, or one month or one decade. It's the accumulation of hundreds of years, especially after the industrial revolution in the western world. They had polluted the air for hundreds of years, and made themselves rich, and now when poor countries want to develop too, they accuse you of pollution.

3. The rich western countries moved all of their most polluted factories to poor countries to make products for them to consume, and then they come back to accuse you of pollution. How hypocritical is that!

[theneObserver]

China with it's 1.45B people is like a family of 15 persons, while the US only 1/5 of China's population (a family of 3 persons). Aside from it's role providing the world's need of products that also produce waste/pollution, a family of 15 who eats 3 times a day will produce more waste than a family of 3 persons, that is unavoidable. In reality the family of 3 (the US) produces waste almost half of the family of 15(China) and demanding that the family of 15 to eat only once a day in order to reduce it's waste/pollution while the family of 3 can keep eating 6 times a day.

[haveaseatplease]

If all the products that China exports to the US were made in the US, the carbon footprint of those products would double.

[zimpiratecoms]

The Western nations need to do more first.

We need to talk about these things in per capita terms.

To just say China is the biggest emmitter and end there is dishonest in my books

[happymelon]

If western people uphold every human on earth has equal rights.
pollution emission should be measured by per capital as this is the right way to measure.

[kckoay]

What contradiction?

China and the United States released 11.4 and 5.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2022 respectively. But on a per capita basis, the Americans accounted for 1.8 times more greenhouse gas than their Chinese counterparts.

Another takeaway is that, measured in dollar terms, China accounts for almost 30% of the world manufacturing outputs, or twice as much as that produced by the U.S. And that is achieved on the back of per capita energy consumption being less than half that of the U.S.

Had China not moved towards green and efficient use of energy, what do you think China’s greenhouse gas emission will be like in order to produce 30% of the manufactured goods for the world?

[privacyhelp]

CO2 Emissions per Capita (2022)
- Canada 15.22 tons
- Australia 15.12 tons
- United states 14.44 tons
- S.korea 12.26 tons
- China 8.85 tons
- Japan 8.61 tons

[liuantony]

China's total installed capacity of solar electric power reached 414GW, accounting for 45% of the world's installed capacity. The cumulative installed capacity of wind power accounts for 39.2% of the world's total. I am very Confident that China will fulfill our promise, to be Cabon neutral by 2060. We have talented people and strong govenment to meet the target.

[TAL]

US is the biggest polluter overall. This sort of article should be responsible for giving the right information. China is just the biggest annual emission in recent years. But it will take another 10 years just to match the carbon emission US put in the air in the past. And China is the fastest to clean up it carbon emission as compare to both the UK and US after their industrialization. Yet US is still number 2 in carbon emission despite not doing any manufacturing while China is the world factory with 4 times the population.

Unless you consider the people in China are not human, China emission per capita is way below most industrialized countries including US, Singapore, Israel, Canada, Japan and ranked 40th less per capita than even Falkland. And the number don't even include the carbon emission by US military bases all over the world.

[johndurham]

Why don’t you report on another amazing Chinese development - a nuclear reactor using Thorium not Uranium, also using molten salts, does not need water for cooling, so they built it in Gobi desert, If they go into factory production for worldwide sales, could be fantastic for world energy needs. China already leads world in Thorium. So proud of China

[MnMPryoBanana]

You have to account for China huge population size and fast economic growth. A great way for the world to solve climate change is to follow China's footsteps in producing more clean energy. Don't let propaganda blind our eyes to how beneficial China's cheaply produced solar panels and wind turbines are to our planet.

[KrazeDiamond]

Everybody knows the US with its 850 military bases around the world and daily Navy patrolling seas in other countries' doorsteps, cause the most pollution on the planet, yet no one dares to talk about it, still scared of the Anglos? Wtf is up with Singapore's state media anyway? Gradually becoming an Anglo mouthpiece in Asia LOL...pity.

[iqbang]

China has made great efforts to reduce emissions, which is second to none. But good things take time. So why does the CNA question China, while paying no attention to countries like the United States and Australia that produce less and emit more?

[donkruuz]

Just 34 years from DXP's southern tour where after which he opened up in earnest ... 34 years to become a force ... that's an unprecedented achievement in any language ... only the English language has no words for it ... proud of China

[VL-inquisitor]

There is no problem with China being the world's biggest clean energy producer and the biggest polluter, as the trend for China is tilting towards more and more clean energy and less and less pollution. However, we should have issue with the west where the trend is slow to invest in green energy but continues to use fossil fuels, which they have doing in the last 2 centuries polluting our planet.

[ChangeMustCome]

We need to be more mindful of the environment and fight for our green spaces before it is too late. In Tan’s words: “The climate crisis is real and urgent, and conserving forests is an important part of tackling this crisis. We must continue to advocate for the conservation of our important green spaces in Singapore.”

[joem]

Isn't it about time for people to understand that China is not one simple cliche ? China is complex, has many many facids and levels.

[varivavariva]

It's great to see governments and stated owned utilities offer local people free or subsidized electricity.

[abayomiwilson]

Good job China big respect keep it going 👌👌👍👍✊✊🇨🇳