Technology

China also continues to increase coal generation by more than renewables.

I don't believe this:

https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/china/

In 2024, China approved 66.7GW of new coal-fired capacity, started construction on 94.5GW of coal power projects

Even if you add these 2 together and pretend they were finished the same year it's not even close to:

China’s renewable energy sector made remarkable progress in 2024, adding 356 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar capacity

https://theasialive.com/chinas-energy-production-coal-and-renewables-locked-in-competition-amid-clean-energy-boom/2025/02/14/

They have missed every single renewable target and goal they’re set.

I don't believe this is true either unless you are referring to some other targets?

In 2020, China set a goal to install at least 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind power by 2030. By the end of 2024, China had already surpassed this target, reaching this milestone 6 years ahead of schedule. This was made possible by aggressive investments, government policies, and a surge in solar and wind installations.

China’s solar capacity grew by an incredible 45.2% in 2024, adding 277 GW. Wind capacity also saw a strong increase of 18%, with an additional 80 GW installed. Overall, total power generation capacity rose by 14.6% in 2024, driven mainly by renewables.

https://carboncredits.com/chinas-renewable-energy-boom-a-record-breaking-shift-or-still-chained-to-coal/

China is only %27 renewables while the EU is 47%.

Don't worry, just like everything else I'm sure that will flip in the future

Europe has plenty of money apparently to suddenly:

NATO leaders on Wednesday confirmed their commitment to more than double defence spending by 2035 banding words like "crucial", "momentous" and "quantum leap"

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/25/defence-spend-to-5-of-gdp-ukraine-russia-the-key-takeaways-from-the-nato-summit

Just why does it take an emergency to make some proper progress:

Global energy storage owner-operator BW ESS and Spanish energy storage developer Ibersun say a new joint venture is intended to build eight four-hour battery projects across the country, with a combined capacity of 2.2 GW, 8.8 GWh.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/no-time-to-waste-huge-big-battery-plans-unveiled-for-spain-as-accusations-traded-over-blackout/

Where will the batteries be made I wonder?

On top of this energy prices in the EU are ridiculous and for some reason they still can't get off the gas, which leads to an unreal point of France giving more money to Russia for gas than in aid to Ukraine, so they have high energy prices and they're funding Russia's invasion of Ukraine and their companies and manufacturing are leaving them... to go to China...

https://aussie.zone/comment/17361559

But I appreciate your scepticism (I gave your post an upvote because China does sometimes get a little bit too much credit), they are the worlds top producer of CO2 by FAR but I do want to address

Greenwashing

This is something I've wanted for a while:

It requires EU importers to pay a levy corresponding to the embedded carbon emissions in 303 emission-intensive products

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/what-to-expect-from-the-eu-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_719d2ff9-en.html

I've long disliked that places like the EU and the rest of the west can export their dirty manufacturing over to China where companies take advantage of lax or no environmental regulations, it's a false economy and makes the west look a whole lot greener and cleaner than it would if we were manufacturing what we used back at home

‘China has Apple by the balls’: How the rising superpower captured the tech giant

https://www.smh.com.au/national/china-has-apple-by-the-balls-how-the-rising-superpower-captured-the-tech-giant-20250609-p5m5z1.html

edit: boy I sure do love to procrastinate and talk about energy and co2 instead of studying :|