Across the globe, world leaders have been meeting to figure out what to do about climate change. Many have made promises to reduce carbon footprints, which include shifting away from coal and introducing more energy-efficient cars on the market.
Then, there’s China. The country seems hell-bent to give the rest of the world the middle finger as they do what they want when they want.
Global Times, the state-run media outlet, boasted that their coal output was the “highest level in recent years.” Coal-fired power plants are responsible for releasing significant amounts of carbon into the air. Why are they doing it? So that they can “ensure energy supply security and residential heating during the winter.
Their timing was entirely too convenient not to be carefully planned. This announcement came on day seven of the COP26 climate conference, which took place in Scotland.
One thing that many of the world leaders have agreed upon is that climate change will require an effort from all countries. If countries like India and China, known for massive coal production, don’t fall in line, efforts made by other countries won’t be as significant.
China doesn’t care.
China knows that they pollute the world more so than any other country. And, what are they doing about it? Well, they build more coal plants in 2020 than all other nations combined…and multiplied by three. What’s worse is that they don’t seem to mind. Even when there were rolling blackouts and power shortages (because that’s what happens with coal-based energy), the Chinese government ordered a campaign from foreign and domestic mines to produce as much coal as was possible.
Thermal coal supply in China is increasing – and the rest of the world is looking to decrease coal supply. And, it’s not just what they’re doing in their country that’s concerning. They’re importing from other countries – and in October, they imported over 25 million tons, an increase of 96 percent over the prior year.
During COP26, it was notable that Chinese dictator Xi Jinping was not in attendance. China also refused to make any kind of commitment toward the goal of improving the climate.
Instead, Global Times bragged that “Analysts said that officials’ ability to quickly stabilize coal supplies as well as prices underscored the country’s capabilities in dealing with emergencies and its determination to put livelihood at front and center.”
NBC News reported that the “coal addiction” that China has was supposed to be heavily criticized at COP26. However, it seemed to be on mute while the communist country excitedly shared that they had record-breaking coal production months throughout the year.
Coal is supposed to be phased out…and that is as a result of an “international alliance” that was established during COP26. There’s just one big problem. The two top coal-burning countries did not attend: China and India.
What is COP26 going to do? What are world leaders going to do to ensure that China falls in line? It seems that no one wants to go to war over it, and China knows that. So, they’ll continue to rub their coal production and their disgusting carbon numbers in everyone’s faces.
Meanwhile, people like AOC want to focus on how cows are bad for the environment? It’s time for an epic reality check…
