What EU countries save on pollution, the United States, China and India squander

Decarbonisation divides the world into blocs of clean and dirty countries

photo_camera China United States

The crusade for clean energy has not yet found its definitive backing. The three big polluting countries, the United States, China and India, have ratified their intention to maintain coal as the fossil fuel this year. Meanwhile, in Europe, the Next Generation funds will be a catalyst for the transformation to a green economy. Now that there is no great ideological tension between blocs, the world is divided between clean and dirty countries.

The United States plans a 16% increase in the use of coal as a fuel this year and another 3% next year. China and India have no intention of curbing their use of these fossil fuels either.

The current situation is cause for concern. Not so much because of the increase in US coal use, but because China continues to be a colossal atmospheric destroyer. The Asian country consumes no less than 71.7% of the coal used worldwide, according to the latest data from the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. In this distribution, India comes second with 11.8% and the USA third with 7.2%. The rest of the world accounts for only 29.3% of the entire market.

Back to the past

The current situation reverses the fall in emissions that occurred at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. In the US, the increase in coal use has been driven both by the rise in the price of more expensive natural gas and the widespread reopening of the pandemic. "For India and China, continued use is indicative of growing demand, even though both countries are trying to use wind and solar power as well. China's energy consumption, for example, has grown, even as the country reduced the share of coal in the country's energy mix," claims the digital ZeroHedge in an article.

Europe has launched a 750 billion plan with the aim of boosting its way out of the health crisis by promoting clean energy projects that represent a revolutionary change on the continent. This public investment takes the form of 390 billion in grants and 360 billion in loans.

Descarbonización

A significant part of these funds will go to projects to transform the production model towards cleaner energies. There will be a decisive boost for electric cars, charging infrastructure and everything related to clean energy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated his intention to achieve net zero emissions by 2060, ZeroHedge recalls, which warns that India is "a long way from a clean grid". India is a signatory to the Paris Agreement on emissions reductions. But "coal still accounts for around 70% of the country's electricity generation and plant consumption will increase by 10% this year," says the digital newspaper, which warns of the forecast growth in emissions until 2027.

The case of the United States does not seem as serious as that of the Asian countries, but the 19% reduction in emissions that the country achieved during the pandemic will be wiped out in the next two years.

The Cold War came to an end with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Donald Trump's trade battle with China has disappeared under Biden. Now it is the atmosphere that has become the theatre of operations for the world's giants in a struggle now over air quality.

More in Economy and business
CRITTA TDC
The Regional Investment Center of the region Tangier Tetouan Al Hoceima organized on Thursday, March 28 at Tecnopark Tangier an information conference on the Territory Development Challenge for project idea holders who want to participate in the competition.

The CRITTA reiterates its call to the TDC from Tecnopark Tangier