green tech
Newsletter
China's green tech surge sparks global trade tensions
China's rapid expansion into renewable technology, including becoming the world's largest producer of solar cells, is raising concerns over potential unfair competition in the U.S. and Europe.
In short:
- China dominates the global market in solar panels, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries, raising alarms in Western countries.
- The U.S. and Europe are investigating China's trade practices, worried about the impact on their own renewable energy industries.
- Chinese companies are looking abroad for profits, potentially pushing American and European competitors out of the global market.
Key quote:
“From a Chinese perspective, their industrial policy really worked. Now they are starting to hit walls.”
— Nis Grünberg, a researcher at the Mercator Institute of China Studies
Why this matters:
As the world grapples with the urgent need to combat climate change, China's leadership in green technology offers a glimpse into a future where renewable energy and sustainability take center stage.
Be sure to listen to Agents of Change senior fellow Azmal Hossan as he talks about an ambitious effort he’s part of to get the U.S. and China working together on climate change.
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Credit: Patrick Hendry/Unsplash
Green tech gets a $6 billion boost from the Biden administration
The Biden administration earmarks $6 billion for projects aimed at slashing emissions in heavy industries, marking a major step in the battle against climate change.
In short:
- The initiative funds 33 projects across 20 states to test decarbonization technologies in industries like steel, cement, and food production.
- Notable beneficiaries include Constellium for a cleaner aluminum plant, Kraft Heinz for electrifying food production, and Cleveland-Cliffs for innovative steel manufacturing.
- This represents the U.S.'s most significant investment in industrial decarbonization, aiming to set global standards for clean manufacturing.
Key quote:
“The area that’s often written off as the hardest to decarbonize is the industrial sector.”
— Ali Zaidi, President Biden’s national climate adviser
Why this matters:
Cleaner technologies can dramatically reduce emissions, but adoption requires financial investment and often, a push from policy.
In 2021, EHN's Peter Dykstra wrote: Biden takes a run at America's glaring environmental problems. Can he succeed?
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Newsletter
Key ‘Bidenomics’ architect calls for spending ‘race to the top’ on green tech
Governments around the world must drastically increase public investment in green technologies to combat global heating and drive sustainable economic growth, a top adviser to President Joe Biden has said.
Captive to coal: Indonesia to burn even more fossil fuel for green tech
Indonesia is on a spree of building coal-fired power plants for industry, which will keep the country addicted to the fossil fuel for the foreseeable future, regardless of its climate commitments, Hans Nicholas Jong reports for Mongabay.
In a nutshell:
Despite its global climate commitments, Indonesia is proceeding with plans to build coal power plants, particularly "captive" plants dedicated to industrial and commercial consumers, including those in the electric vehicle and battery supply chains. A recent report by the Global Energy Monitor reveals that Indonesia has 18.8 gigawatts of coal power under construction, exceeding most other countries apart from China and India. This surge in coal plants, largely driven by the demand for nickel and battery production, poses challenges to the nation's efforts to transition away from coal and align with emission reduction targets.
Key quote:
“So there’s more coal power, including captive, that will be built than the capacity that will be retired,” Rere Jambore Christanto, a mining and energy campaign manager at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, said. “This will increase our emissions, even though we know that our emissions [from the energy sector] should peak in 2030.”
The big picture:
The construction of new coal-fired power plants has significant health and environmental implications. From a public health perspective, these plants emit harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, which can lead to respiratory illnesses, heart problems, and premature deaths among nearby communities. The burning of coal releases greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change and its associated consequences, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and disruptions to ecosystems. The extraction and transportation of coal can also cause habitat destruction, water pollution, and negative impacts on local biodiversity.
Read the article at Mongabay.
In the U.S., swapping out coal energy for solarwapping out coal energy for solar would prevent 52,000 premature deaths every year.
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Can natural gas be used to create power with fewer emissions?
One company says it has the technology. And though investors looking for cleaner power generation are lining up, some environmentalists are skeptical.
Top Story
How Russia’s war is putting green tech progress in jeopardy
The European Union relies heavily on Russia to supply nickel and other metals for electric vehicle batteries and other renewable technologies. War-related price increases and shortages of these metals could hinder Europe’s drive to sharply cut emissions.
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