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U.S. Emissions Rise 4.2%, China's Fall 2.7%

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196 points triceratops | 1 comments | 02 Sep 25 20:02 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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jryan49 ◴[02 Sep 25 20:37 UTC] No.45108691[source]▶
Is there a future where China uses this as leverage with the rest of the world to put sanctions on the US if we don't transition?
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Workaccount2 ◴[02 Sep 25 20:42 UTC] No.45108771[source]▶
China is doing this for energy independence. Their fossil fuel supply chain is critically vulnerable. They don't care about the climate, but will happily play the optics.
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bgnn ◴[02 Sep 25 20:56 UTC] No.45108940[source]▶
Neither the US cares about the climate amd doesn't care about the optics either.

This is capitalism in action: solar is cheaper than anything else per kwh. The obsession with fossil in the West is due to the fossil fuel lobbies, not because of the rational market forces. China doesn't have that.

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chrisco255 ◴[02 Sep 25 21:30 UTC] No.45109310[source]▶
China continues to get the bulk of their energy from fossil fuels. 56% from coal. China has double the emissions of the USA and new construction for coal plants reached a 10 year high in 2024:

https://www.carbonbrief.org/chinas-construction-of-new-coal-...

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triceratops ◴[02 Sep 25 21:41 UTC] No.45109448{3}[source]▶
A case study in lying by omission. They build coal plants but they don't use them. In 2024 more than 80% of their energy growth came from solar and wind. As of 2023 solar was already cheaper than coal in China.

What do you gain from lying like this?

https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/china/#:~:tex...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_China

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chrisco255 ◴[02 Sep 25 21:47 UTC] No.45109536{4}[source]▶
Nothing I said was a lie. Its literally the entire picture of their power grid not just the last 12 months of some boom cycle. You omitted the fact that the majority of their power comes from the most polluting fossil fuel in existence: coal. And it continues to grow coal capacity. It's not building these plants for shits and giggles these are capital intensive projects.
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1. triceratops ◴[02 Sep 25 21:52 UTC] No.45109590{5}[source]▶
> Nothing I said was a lie.

"Lying by omission" means things not said. Facts deliberately left out to mislead.

> You omitted the fact that the majority of their power comes from the most polluting fossil fuel in existence: coal

And you omitted the fact that majority of cumulative carbon emissions come from developed countries. Not to mention you're spreading your lies on an article that's literally about them reducing total emissions, the final refuge for people like you ("America still emits less, the climate doesn't care about pe-capita blah blah"). Seriously, re-evaluate your priors. Consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, someone is doing something about the climate, and not even on purpose, while we just sit around.

> It's not building these plants for shits and giggles

Apparently they are because 80% of their energy growth doesn't come from those plants. I think they're part jobs programs, part backup plan.