this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024
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Futurology
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"Of the world’s four largest greenhouse gas emitters the EU has made by far the most progress in slashing emissions. A report released last week by the UN Environment Programme calculated that EU emissions fell 7.5 percent last year -- compared to a 1.4-percent drop in the United States, and a jump of 5.2 and 6.1 percent respectively in China and India."
This is largely driven by swapping out coal for renewables, which means the EU is on track for its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. China and India have growing electricity demand, that even China with its vast renewables manufacturing capability, can't meet from renewables alone. There is talk in the EU about speeding up efforts to try to reach carbon neutrality sooner. Crucially, this can now be tied to a pro-economic growth agenda which will get more right-wing parties in the European Parliament on board.
To be honest, as a Dutchman I think our current right-wing government parties will decide that their dislikes for "the environment" outweigh any economical advantages.
"The environment" is in qoutes because they've separated the word from the meaning, to them the inveronment is an abstract thing that "left" people talk about. Also, not actual left, just all the people who don't agree with them.
My hope, and my belief, is that the switch to greener options has started and might not be easily stopped. EUs fit for 55 is a big deal and on the transportation side we see electrics making inroads in the market in a rather big way. Gas prices has plummeted and since production hasn't gone up, it's just demand side left.
On the construction side if things green heating options has diversified, come down in price and with local low temperature heat storage solutions might be even cheaper and less power hungry.
The only fly in the ointment is that we need to describe it as "increasing resilience", "cutting cost" and "decreasing dependency on over seas deliveries". As long as nobody mention "the inveronment" as the reason to do something.
Definitely for EU. No matter how much they love the US, they know that FF dependency is hurting them more than any one country dependency. While article says China emissions have gone up, they are likely to finish down for the year. As of summer, there is also a big drop in NG imports from China. China EV success is also reducing their oil imports/refining.
The backdrop for this is the delusion in US politics with right wing saying that we need to massively increase LNG export capacity even as their customers are rapidly reducing NG imports.
Idk how you did it but the way you casually but precisely summed up the populistic strategies is just beautiful.
Thank you!