The narrative of China as some sort of climate champion (as opposed to those wicked Americans) is being revived yet again — to the extent that it ever went away.
Some recent news.
China is on track to become the world’s third-largest gas producer after rapidly expanding its fracking capabilities.
In an attempt to reduce the economy’s reliance on imported energy, Beijing is seeking to emulate the shale gas revolution that has propelled the US to energy independence.
Initial efforts have already led to China’s natural gas production hitting a record high last year, rising 6pc to 262 billion cubic metres.
This has drawn China level with Iran, with only the US and Russia producing more.
The vast majority of the coal power projects [scheduled to come online in 2026] are in China, which accounts for 212 gigawatts of the 256GW total new capacity under construction. China has 85 coal-fired units scheduled to open in 2026, accounting for 55GW of the global 63GW, according to the GEM data. . . .
China’s push on the technology means that total coal-fired power capacity under construction in 2024 and 2025 was higher than any year since 2016, even though it fell in the rest of the world. India, Vietnam, Indonesia and others are also building new projects. India has about 24GW under construction. . . .
I am looking forward to reading about angry protests by climate activists directed against China.
And U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres must be boiling, boiling about these developments.