How China raced ahead on clean energy while America clung to oil
Even as the climate crisis intensifies, China and the U.S. are charting wildly different energy paths — one doubling down on clean tech, the other on fossil fuels.
In short:
- China is aggressively expanding its global dominance in clean energy by building solar, wind, battery, EV, and nuclear infrastructure at unprecedented scale — including major investments abroad.
- The Trump administration is pushing an oil-and-gas agenda at home and abroad, undoing clean energy incentives while lobbying allies to invest in U.S. fossil fuels.
- The U.S. once led in renewable tech but failed to sustain investment, allowing China to corner the market through coordinated government support and control over key materials.
Key quote:
“When the federal government of the United States decides to go out of the race, it doesn’t stop the race. Other countries keep moving.”
— Rafael Dubeux, a senior official in Brazil’s Finance Ministry
Why this matters:
America — once a solar and wind innovator — is now backpedaling. The Trump administration is tossing lifelines to oil and gas companies, lobbying countries to buy U.S. crude, and rolling back policies that helped launch renewables in the first place. The U.S. is bet on short-term profits. China is playing the long game.
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