Is China going to destroy itself and everyone else with coal?

It doesn't look good

China.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Kevin Frayer/Getty Images, -slav-/iStock)

For many years, China has been the world leader in green energy, directing massive subsidies toward solar panels, wind, and other renewable technology. But it has also been the world leader in greenhouse gas emissions, putting out about twice as much as the United States, the second largest emitter, today. It appeared as recently as 2017 that the Chinese government — recognizing its extreme vulnerability to climate change, and its ability to cook human society completely by itself — would tip toward the green end of the scale.

But not now. China is radically scaling back its green subsidies, and ramping up its coal power investment. China, it seems, cannot be relied on for any kind of climate leadership. If it is up to Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), they and everyone else will be fried.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.