, Columnist
Xi’s Timidity Is Coal’s Last and Best Hope
China can build out clean power faster than any other nation. But it’s wedded to energy-intensive growth and that means more pollution.
China could keep pumping carbon to 2030.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
Imagine a situation where President Donald Trump announced a plan to let America burn 75% more coal.
In a speech to a United Nations climate summit, he would offer a word salad of platitudes and vague promises. There would be demands that less-polluting countries do the heavy lifting on emissions; predictions of a slowdown in the pace of clean energy buildout; and no absolute commitments on carbon.