Climate Archives - The Wire China

A Vital Year Ahead for U.S.-China Climate Engagement

Herbert Crowther — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Disagreements loom on how to fund the global fight against climate change, but there’s plenty of room this year for both countries to entrench recent progress in their cooperation.

The post A Vital Year Ahead for U.S.-China Climate Engagement appeared first on The Wire China.

How a Battery Metals Supply Glut is Deepening China’s Dominance

Eliot Chen — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Crashing metals prices are making it hard for Western miners to justify new investments in the minerals needed for clean energy.

The post How a Battery Metals Supply Glut is Deepening China’s Dominance appeared first on The Wire China.

The Rising Cost of the Climate Crisis

Aaron Mc Nicholas — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Besides the human cost, natural disasters are causing ever more damage to China’s economy.

The post The Rising Cost of the Climate Crisis appeared first on The Wire China.

China’s Coal Calculations

Rachel Cheung — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The country’s carbon emissions could enter structural decline next year, but there’s a big if.

The post China’s Coal Calculations appeared first on The Wire China.

The Science Split?

Eliot Chen — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 23:00:00 +0000

With a landmark, 44-year-old agreement set to expire at the end of this month, the U.S. is facing one of its biggest China tests: Can the two countries overcome their respective techno-nationalisms and cooperate on the most basic science?

The post The Science Split? appeared first on The Wire China.

Climate Cooperation by Other Means

Edmund Downie — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 23:00:00 +0000

To stabilize U.S.-China climate cooperation, look beyond bilateral partnerships to more creative modes of engagement.

The post Climate Cooperation by Other Means appeared first on The Wire China.

Major Miner

Eliot Chen — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A look at Zijin Mining, which made its name digging up gold, but is now hoping to catch up in the race to produce the minerals that power electric vehicles.

The post Major Miner appeared first on The Wire China.

Climate Changers

Eyck Freymann — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

With climate diplomacy deadlocked, researchers and policy makers are grappling with extreme warming scenarios and sobering choices — including tinkering with the global climate. Despite the many risks, the U.S. and China are both barreling forward with geoengineering research, and many experts warn there aren't adequate guardrails in place. As Eyck Freymann shows in the sixth and final part of The Warming War series, the geoengineering arms race is just getting started.

The post Climate Changers appeared first on The Wire China.

China’s Under-Used Grid

Eliot Chen — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A look at China’s electricity grid: how it works, who foots the bill, and how its structure leads to power crunches and expensive prices despite the relative abundance of energy in China.

The post China’s Under-Used Grid appeared first on The Wire China.

Climate Consensus

Eyck Freymann — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Increasingly, Democrats and Republicans believe that climate change and China pose a single interconnected challenge. As a result — and for the first time ever — a window is opening for bipartisan cooperation on climate policy. Historically progressive ideas like a 'carbon border adjustment mechanism' now have conservative champions, for instance. But with Washington's main focus on the Warming War with China, can it still save the planet?

The post Climate Consensus appeared first on The Wire China.

Refocusing U.S.-China Climate Relations

Michael Davidson — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Zero-sum competition between the U.S. and China holds disastrous consequences for the climate. A new model is needed.

The post Refocusing U.S.-China Climate Relations appeared first on The Wire China.

The Ocean Edge

Eyck Freymann — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

With its plans for seabed mining and the "blue economy," China is implementing a strategy for the world's warming oceans. The U.S. is trying to keep up, but just as climate change is heating up geopolitical competition, the scramble for ocean resources has also become a force-multiplier for climate change itself.

The post The Ocean Edge appeared first on The Wire China.

Coal Comeback?

Isabella Borshoff — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 23:00:00 +0000

Following a summer of power shortages, Beijing is sending mixed messages about the role of coal in China's energy mix.

The post Coal Comeback? appeared first on The Wire China.

Transforming the Economics and Governance of Water

Mariana Mazzucato — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 23:00:00 +0000

Water-related crises around the world have shown that current systems of governance and economic organization are unsuited for a world altered by global warming.

The post Transforming the Economics and Governance of Water appeared first on The Wire China.

A Big Payoff from U.S.-China Climate Coordination

Jiang Lin — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 23:00:00 +0000

New research shows that China and the U.S. could both decarbonize their grids by 80 percent between now and 2035.

The post A Big Payoff from U.S.-China Climate Coordination appeared first on The Wire China.

Pole Position

Eyck Freymann — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 23:00:00 +0000

In public, Chinese diplomats and climate negotiators deny that they see any link between climate change and geopolitics. But there is a deeply cynical consensus within China’s academic and policy communities that climate change creates geopolitical opportunities that China can exploit — and must exploit before its rivals do. Greenland was the proof of concept for this strategy. And it caught the U.S. flat-footed.

The post Pole Position appeared first on The Wire China.

Powering Utah, with China’s Help

Isabella Borshoff — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 23:00:00 +0000

Even the new poster-child for domestic energy innovation relies on critical inputs from China.

The post Powering Utah, with China’s Help appeared first on The Wire China.

The Adaptation Advantage

Eyck Freymann — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 23:00:00 +0000

China is mobilizing to adapt and thrive in a rapidly warming world. Under Xi Jinping, the country has undertaken thousands of projects — across industries and in every part of the country — that are clearly designed to protect the country against extreme climate impacts. The second part of our series, The Warming War, explores China's strategy and its profound geopolitical consequences. Is America ready?

The post The Adaptation Advantage appeared first on The Wire China.

The Diplomatic Deadlock

Eyck Freymann — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 23:00:00 +0000

For decades, climate change has been framed as a crisis that the international community needs to solve — and which it could solve if world leaders would only muster the political will to cooperate and share the burden. But the bonhomie of climate conferences and climate diplomacy masked a ferociously competitive geopolitical tug-of-war. Today, with China and the United States locked in an intensifying rivalry, the geopolitical aspects of climate diplomacy are bursting into view like never before.

The post The Diplomatic Deadlock appeared first on The Wire China.

The South China Sea’s Environmental Crisis

Kent Harrington — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:44:45 +0000

Beyond geopolitics, there is an ecological disaster unfolding.

The post The South China Sea’s Environmental Crisis appeared first on The Wire China.

U.S.-China Climate Relations Look Up After COP26

Thom Woodroofe — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The intense levels of dialogue between the two countries on climate can now translate into practical cooperation.

The post U.S.-China Climate Relations Look Up After COP26 appeared first on The Wire China.

The Solar Struggle

Lili Pike — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:01:26 +0000

For more than a decade, the U.S. has tried to use tariffs as a way to thwart China's solar panel manufacturing industry while nurturing its own — and many analysts say it's been a disaster. But U.S.-China trade policy is never that simple, especially now. With allegations of forced labor in China's solar supply chain, President Biden faces a complicated calculus — and the clock is ticking.

The post The Solar Struggle appeared first on The Wire China.

Carbon Border Adjustment is China’s Worst Nightmare

Elettra Ardissino — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The EU is considering a tax on imports that would be good news for the world — and terrible news for China.

The post Carbon Border Adjustment is China’s Worst Nightmare appeared first on The Wire China.

Asia Can’t Decarbonize Without China’s Help

Eyck Freymann — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Asia cannot fully decarbonize without becoming even more financially interconnected with — and dependent on — China.

The post Asia Can’t Decarbonize Without China’s Help appeared first on The Wire China.

Can COP Kickstart U.S.-China Climate Action?

Katrina Northrop — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 23:00:00 +0000

So far, nobody is even sure whether Xi Jinping will show up.

The post Can COP Kickstart U.S.-China Climate Action? appeared first on The Wire China.

Carbon Neutrality with Chinese Characteristics

Nancy Qian — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:00:00 +0000

The facts favor China’s ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

The post Carbon Neutrality with Chinese Characteristics appeared first on The Wire China.

The Right War for the U.S. and China

Andrew Sheng — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Either everyone wins the fight against climate change, or no one does.

The post The Right War for the U.S. and China appeared first on The Wire China.

Wind Wars

Luke Patey — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 23:00:00 +0000

China is running full steam ahead in pursuit of leadership in the 21st century’s most important global industries. Can Europe keep pace?

The post Wind Wars appeared first on The Wire China.

The Climate Contest

Katrina Northrop — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 23:00:00 +0000

The Kigali Treaty is a reminder that, when it comes to climate change, competition — rather than cooperation — between the U.S. and China may be the spur to action.

The post The Climate Contest appeared first on The Wire China.

The Sponge Revolution

Eyck Freymann — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 23:00:00 +0000

By 2030, 70 percent of Chinese cities are scheduled to become “sponge cities” — a novel solution designed to prevent flooding while also “greening” China and making it more resilient to climate change. If it succeeds, it will be a major step forward in the Chinese Communist Party’s plan for an “ecological civilization.”

The post The Sponge Revolution appeared first on The Wire China.

China Digs a Hole for Bitcoin Miners

Katrina Northrop — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000

China’s recent measures against bitcoin are notable because they are, in part, motivated by environmental worries.

The post China Digs a Hole for Bitcoin Miners appeared first on The Wire China.

The Logic of U.S.-China Competition

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. — Sun, 09 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

The U.S.-China relationship is a “cooperative rivalry,” in which the terms of competition will require equal attention to both sides of the oxymoron.

The post The Logic of U.S.-China Competition appeared first on The Wire China.

The Climate Crusaders

Katrina Northrop — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua were brought out of retirement, in part, because they are seen as uniquely capable of getting the U.S. and China to cooperate on climate change. But when it comes to the world’s two biggest emitters, a rivalry might be just as useful.

The post The Climate Crusaders appeared first on The Wire China.

Isabel Hilton on Fixing the Bigger Problem

Katrina Northrop — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:28 +0000

The China Dialogue founder talks about China’s evolution on climate issues.

The post Isabel Hilton on Fixing the Bigger Problem appeared first on The Wire China.

Swapping a Debt Crisis for a Climate Opportunity

Rebecca Ray — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 00:00:45 +0000

Many of China’s debtor nations are unable to repay their debt, but debt-for-climate swaps could be an innovative solution.

The post Swapping a Debt Crisis for a Climate Opportunity appeared first on The Wire China.

China’s Green Gambit

Minxin Pei — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:15:58 +0000

China’s ambitious climate pledges have drawn praise the world over. But China will demand a high price for its contributions.

The post China’s Green Gambit appeared first on The Wire China.

Elizabeth Economy on China’s Assertiveness

Katrina Northrop — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 23:00:00 +0000

The scholar explains the motivations behind China's recent bold actions and the challenges it will pose for the global order.

The post Elizabeth Economy on China’s Assertiveness appeared first on The Wire China.

China and America Are Failing the Pandemic Test

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 23:00:00 +0000

On transnational issues like Covid-19 and climate change, power should be a positive-sum game.

The post China and America Are Failing the Pandemic Test appeared first on The Wire China.