Personal anecdote. I have recently been in China, specifically Shenzhen and a couple of other southern megacities.
Let me tell you all something: China is getting ahead of us. Shenzhen used to be known for its smokestacks. It is now at least as pleasant as any European city. Not only does it have an excellent metro, loads of green space and trees, wide sidewalks and cycle lanes. It also has silent streets with shockingly clean air. And for a simple reason: all the buses, all the scooters and motorbikes, and at least 40% of the private cars (not very numerous because of the great transit) are electric.
Europeans might be surprised to discover what a difference this electrification makes to a city. From personal experience of both, I can tell you that (IMO) Chinese cities are putting Swiss ones in the shade. This should be a pretty shameful situation for the supposed quality-of-life superpower that Europe imagines itself to be.
Instead of punishing China for getting ahead in a technological battle that will benefit us all, Europe should be copying it.
Sure. So let us do it better in Europe then. This just sounds like defensive excuses. Europe’s car makers could have decided - or been forced - to switch to electric. Europe could have banned the abomination that is the combustion scooter, or taxed to oblivion the SUV. We collectively decided that Volkswagen’s short-term profits are more important than our environment or our economic future. That’s on us, it’s not China’s fault.
No. China didn’t do it ‘overnight’. They started their transition over 20 years ago. Try telling ANYONE bar the greens in the west that they should transition all cars to electric back then and see how they would laugh to your face.
The west is late because it lacked the vision to do it in the past, and is now paying the price by scrambling to do it late.
They have also been installing solar powerplants at a lightning rate. They installed more solar in 2023 than the US has in total according to an article I read a few months ago.
It’s not about saving the planet though, they import the bulk of their fossil fuels, moving to renewables reduces their fuel import dependency
Increased solar and wind means little in terms of saving the planet when coal usage is increasing. I look forward to the day when we have some honest data from CN on electricitymaps
I agree with your point on curbing fuel import and dependence.
Shenzhen and Hong Kong and many other Chinese cities are really great, I have been there too. The point is that what we see and what you describe is the surface. China is a deeply autocratic regime. It’s a shame what the CCP is doing to the Chinese people and their culture.
Personal anecdote. I have recently been in China, specifically Shenzhen and a couple of other southern megacities.
Let me tell you all something: China is getting ahead of us. Shenzhen used to be known for its smokestacks. It is now at least as pleasant as any European city. Not only does it have an excellent metro, loads of green space and trees, wide sidewalks and cycle lanes. It also has silent streets with shockingly clean air. And for a simple reason: all the buses, all the scooters and motorbikes, and at least 40% of the private cars (not very numerous because of the great transit) are electric.
Europeans might be surprised to discover what a difference this electrification makes to a city. From personal experience of both, I can tell you that (IMO) Chinese cities are putting Swiss ones in the shade. This should be a pretty shameful situation for the supposed quality-of-life superpower that Europe imagines itself to be.
Instead of punishing China for getting ahead in a technological battle that will benefit us all, Europe should be copying it.
Europe is copying it, or at least it’s doing the same thing. The problem is not what China is doing but how.
Sure. So let us do it better in Europe then. This just sounds like defensive excuses. Europe’s car makers could have decided - or been forced - to switch to electric. Europe could have banned the abomination that is the combustion scooter, or taxed to oblivion the SUV. We collectively decided that Volkswagen’s short-term profits are more important than our environment or our economic future. That’s on us, it’s not China’s fault.
Europe has forced car makers to switch to electric, for 2035. It’s just not viable to do it overnight.
Yes yes I do know that. Somehow China found it was “viable”, though. That is the issue.
It wouldn’t have been viable in China either, but they simply didn’t have any meaningful ICE-car production to note
No. China didn’t do it ‘overnight’. They started their transition over 20 years ago. Try telling ANYONE bar the greens in the west that they should transition all cars to electric back then and see how they would laugh to your face.
The west is late because it lacked the vision to do it in the past, and is now paying the price by scrambling to do it late.
But, I suppose it’s better to be late than never.
Go to the North in winter and experience true choking pollution from rampant coal furnaces. Even Beijing doesn’t escape that.
Don’t forget where all that electricity comes from to charge those electric vehicles.
They have also been installing solar powerplants at a lightning rate. They installed more solar in 2023 than the US has in total according to an article I read a few months ago.
It’s not about saving the planet though, they import the bulk of their fossil fuels, moving to renewables reduces their fuel import dependency
Increased solar and wind means little in terms of saving the planet when coal usage is increasing. I look forward to the day when we have some honest data from CN on electricitymaps
I agree with your point on curbing fuel import and dependence.
Got any stats on coal increasing to share ? Last I saw they were decomming significant quantities of coal stations
Sure. Had a check on these organisations and they seem reliable.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/china-responsible-for-95-of-new-coal-power-construction-in-2023-report-says/
https://globalenergymonitor.org/press-release/chinas-coal-power-spree-could-see-over-300-coal-plants-added-before-emissions-peak/
You’ll find stats here: https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-tracker/summary-tables/
Damn, that’s disappointing at a quick scan. Will read in properly and fact check later. Thanks.
Shenzhen and Hong Kong and many other Chinese cities are really great, I have been there too. The point is that what we see and what you describe is the surface. China is a deeply autocratic regime. It’s a shame what the CCP is doing to the Chinese people and their culture.
We all agree on that and nothing stops us from doing things differently.