Is actually one of the most important factors when it comes to climate change right now.
Think about how many tons of carbon have been released by fighters bombing hospitals, and tanks tearing up roads in refugee camps. As bad as a coal power plant in China is for the climate, at least it is producing a tangible good, and is part of a greater mission to uplift people, improve their standard of living, on the path to zero emissions. We have burned millions of tons of carbon, with Israel, for the sole purpose of ethnic cleansing.
This, also if you think about it- the total cumulative emissions of the west vastly exceeds that of China’s, or India’s, or that of any other global south country. And much of China’s emissions are basically just the west’s relocated industry, supporting western consumerism- and it is not so long ago that China was an immensely poor nation, even now it is still undeniably a developing nation (though developing in leaps and bounds). Coal, oil, etc… these historically have been necessary steps along the road to human development (and human basic needs which all the global south is struggling with > environment by-and-large; anything else is ecofascism or something akin to it).
But now- look at China, and the global south. China is upending even this historical path, and making massive leaps and bounds in not only renewable energy technology, but making said technology affordable and accessible to the masses and thus viable as a true replacement to fossil fuels. The global south at large is embracing it with all they’ve got (limited means, but they’re embracing it all right). Look at the work of countries like China, or even India, or even some of the world’s most impoverished nations along the west African Sahel, etc… and one can see that these nations, who have been given the brunt of climate/pollution imperialism- fully understand and are actively working to combat it (even if they also need to feed themselves, their families, they need to have basic needs like education, healthcare, housing, etc… these things don’t grow on trees) with efforts that, in China’s case, eclipse that of the west’s (despite western wealth and decades of doing nothing and rather maintaining- to this day!- as wretched a system as possible, to maintain oil exec’s profits, to maintain the local auto/etc industries’ profits, etc etc etc), and in the case of other far poorer/less developed global south nations, resemble an effort far greater (compared to their resources) than that of any western country…
Is actually one of the most important factors when it comes to climate change right now.
Think about how many tons of carbon have been released by fighters bombing hospitals, and tanks tearing up roads in refugee camps. As bad as a coal power plant in China is for the climate, at least it is producing a tangible good, and is part of a greater mission to uplift people, improve their standard of living, on the path to zero emissions. We have burned millions of tons of carbon, with Israel, for the sole purpose of ethnic cleansing.
This, also if you think about it- the total cumulative emissions of the west vastly exceeds that of China’s, or India’s, or that of any other global south country. And much of China’s emissions are basically just the west’s relocated industry, supporting western consumerism- and it is not so long ago that China was an immensely poor nation, even now it is still undeniably a developing nation (though developing in leaps and bounds). Coal, oil, etc… these historically have been necessary steps along the road to human development (and human basic needs which all the global south is struggling with > environment by-and-large; anything else is ecofascism or something akin to it).
But now- look at China, and the global south. China is upending even this historical path, and making massive leaps and bounds in not only renewable energy technology, but making said technology affordable and accessible to the masses and thus viable as a true replacement to fossil fuels. The global south at large is embracing it with all they’ve got (limited means, but they’re embracing it all right). Look at the work of countries like China, or even India, or even some of the world’s most impoverished nations along the west African Sahel, etc… and one can see that these nations, who have been given the brunt of climate/pollution imperialism- fully understand and are actively working to combat it (even if they also need to feed themselves, their families, they need to have basic needs like education, healthcare, housing, etc… these things don’t grow on trees) with efforts that, in China’s case, eclipse that of the west’s (despite western wealth and decades of doing nothing and rather maintaining- to this day!- as wretched a system as possible, to maintain oil exec’s profits, to maintain the local auto/etc industries’ profits, etc etc etc), and in the case of other far poorer/less developed global south nations, resemble an effort far greater (compared to their resources) than that of any western country…