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China and India need to stop burning BILLIONS of tons of coal a year. Everyone needs to stop burning coal in general.
Technically true, but you don't need to help the pro-climate catastrophe people (it's wild that those people exist BTW) use "We shouldn't bother to get better until they get better" to influence policy. Don't be a crab. For what it's worth, India burns less coal per capita than the US and China is blowing everyone else out of the water on advancing solar power and electric vehicles.
India burns a bit more than double the coal the USA does. It also accounts for 75% of their electricity generation fuel. Whereas in the usa its less than 14%. So India burns less per capita but significantly more by weight and their entire grid is based on coal. Nobody should be burning coal for electric generation period. The USA has consistently gotten better and better with emissions while excuses are made for India/China. We are getting better and have been getting better, look at the amount of nat gas plants, solar fields, hydroelectric, wind and cogen facilities that have popped up in the last couple decades.
India burns substantially less than double the US. Even if that wasn't the case, trying to lay the blame on other countries is textbook crab mentality. That's problematic even before you get to the callous narcissism of "Yeah, we burned coal when we were developing, but it's wrong now so you cant. Good luck developing! We're rooting for you to do it the right way!"
Americans and pulling up the ladder. What an iconic duo.
In 2024 India 1.3 billion tons In 2024 the U.S. burned 411 tons
I'm not laying blame I'm saying we as a species need to stop burning coal. The US shouldn't be doing it and neither should any other country. The US as I said, has been consistently improving methodology of generation. We have not however curbed our electricity use its only increased. It will continue to increase in an incredibly dramatic fashion more with electric cars, AI data centers and residential draw. We aren't that high in polution per capita because we are burning fuel poorly. We are high because we use such a significant amount more per person. The issue is less the fuel, more the habits we as Americans have. I'm a mechanical engineer working in stationary engineering for a large cogen power plant. Emissions have steadily gotten better and better throughout my time in the field.
Isn't China doing better than the rest of the world in steering to renewables (which have their own issues)? The real problem isn't what we're burning, it's the demand. It keeps going up, so even advances in better energy sources dwindle in their growth compared to the total need. But reducing demand is antithesis to a good economy, so we aren't even considering that. Must tech out of this! (Not working so far)
China is the only major country still building new coal power. The UK, meanwhile, closed its last coal plant in 2024.
The US needs to give up on drill-baby-drill. Germany needs to stop closing perfectly functional nuclear plants. The US especially needs to get out of car-based infrastructure, though even Europe isn't ideal.
China is number one followed closely by the USA as number two. A larger percentage of our energy comes from renewables than china and we burn SIGNIFICANTLY less coal. 2024 we burned 411 million tons and China burned about 4.5 billion. Make the per capita argument all you want, 4.5 billion is still 4.5 billion and 411 million is still 411 million. You're absolutely right, the demand is one of the bigger issues nobody knows what to do about.
Don't forget China needs to stop using cement! We can use it though of course.
And all those 3rd world countries aren't allowed sidewalks!
Nobody should be using coal. Nobody NEEDS to use coal. Its not like you use coal for awhile then level up and it turns to renewables. Developing nations should be given/sold the necessary resources to be self sufficient.
Yeah China bad bad bad bad bad! CHINANNNAA!!
Coal bad, China meh.
You forgot the cement use!! CHINA BAD FOR USING CEMENT!1!
Is it super cement though?
Ok I've had fun so I guess I'll try to educate you.
You've fallen for right wing talking points blaming China for climate change. Notice how they hone in a singular talking point while ignoring everything else? They don't talk about carbon, they try to take a singular point coal.
Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita
Sort by emissions per capita and see where countries line up. US #16, China #25. India #125.
That's not to say that coal is fine. But when you hone in on that singular talking point and blame CHINA and oh yeah INDIA bad countries why are they so bad bad bad, then you've fallen for right wing Fox news screaming "CHINA'S COALL!"
PS watch for them blaming cement use too, which of course developing countries will use more of.
I literally just hate coal. I haven't fallen for anything. I just very strongly believe coal fired steam systems should cease existing. I look at gigawatts generated and what the fuel is that fed that number. Coal is the worst of all the currently used fuels. The countries using it the most should stop. Emissions per capita are high in the US because we have and use so many electrical luxuries. We have steadily been increasing generation from renewables and we will continue to do so. Calling out countries Who use the most of the worst fuel doesn't make me right wing. Stop using the worst fuel.
Good thing you can ignore everything else polluting the Earth. JFC. And just coincidentally spout Fox's line. JFC. And ignore the actual problem of fucking CARBON. JFC. "Teehee the US just has too many electrical luxuries teehee, I'll just ignore the HIGHER CARBON teehee." JFC.
I don't believe you for a second. Any rational person would look at the actual issue of carbon.
China is number one carbon emissions and coal powers 60% of their grid. This is my career.
Just keep on those Fox points there. Now you're ignoring mfing population. I worked it out, China has 4.08x the population. Over 4 times the population and you want to ignore that, teehee of course. And right back to coal only, ignoring the actual thing that matters: carbon. You're really just proving my point that you're regurgitating Fox points.
You realize China is constructing NEW coal plants right, plural? Massive coal fired steam systems. What, because they dont have access to nat gas, nuke, oil or renewables? The last coal plant built in the US was over a decade ago and that was fucking stupid. The US has dedicated tremendous resources to renewables and continue to do so. Pointing out other countries short comings doesn't stop that. Coal should cease being used as a fuel, new plants are a ridiculous technology to sink money in. Total carbon is the main issue, coal produces the most by a huge margin. Part of why the US is so high is due to our cars, accounting for more than 30% of total emissions. China on the other hand only emits 10% from cars. The majority of their emissions come from COAL. I'm a mechanical engineer working in a major power plant. I'm passionate about this, my opinions come from research, schooling and experience, not a news station. Coal shouldn't be used as a fuel,cars should be electric whenever possible, developing nations should be given/sold the resources needed for renewables, nuclear power should be the global standard, a combination of renewables/gas/nuke is best, turbines still use lubricating oils so we need to develop turbines that don't. You can want me to believe these things because I watch fox, but, I don't. China shouldn't use coal, the US should do more in the renewables space, both things can be true.
This is the thing with right wing talking points, they draw a connection between the main issue and one singular point that contributes to it. Then they talk incessantly about that one point while ignoring everything else that causes it Oh btw, the one point just happens to allow them to scapegoat "the other"^TM^ for the whole issue.
This is exactly what you're doing. Down to a tee.
You draw a connection between coal ("majority source") and carbon. Then you talk incessantly about coal as if that's the only cause. You give a cursory head nod to oil, and then right back to coal (the one singular point). Right back to ignoring CARBON (the actual issue). All so that you can scapegoat China (the other).
You forgot India this time, because when you see it's #125 on the list it's ridiculous to blame them. What else, you continue to ignore per capita CARBON, see previous link.
You've proven you're just regurgitating Fox points. Ciao.
You're so wrapped up in politics you're not listening to what I'm saying or why I'm saying it. My opinions have nothing to do with left or right wing, they have to do with my direct experience in the field over the last decade. I've been in/worked coal,trash, gas and cogen plants. If the USA was building a new coal plant in my area I'd be on the line protesting it. I'll say again, the US has dedicated more resources to renewables than any other country aside from China. Saying new coal plants shouldnt be built doesnt make me republican... China plans to use coal as a primary source until 2060. You can dislike fox all you want, I do too but it has nothing to do with my views.
No I'm wrapped up in reality: carbon.
Ok I really have to peace out of this. Just like the other guy who talked to you said: you aren't absorbing anything.
Phew! Almost thought we should do something. Luckily I can just play video games whilst we wait for China and Indie to their act together
We are doing something.... More than a quarter of our electricity comes from renewables and less than 15% come from coal (should be zero across the board across the globe). We are number 2 globally in new renewables. Behind number 1 China, a country in which 60% of electricity generated is from coal.
This is a classssic Right/Big Oil bot talking point. Why do you think the climate is where it is now? What is the main country that has pushed so much CO2 into the atmosphere in the last 80 years that we're even talking about this?
Yes, China, India and others need to reduce fossil fuel production and usage. But this talking point is typically used as API propaganda to push the blame elsewhere. Also where is that demand coming from? Again, it's America and the West.
Nobody should be burning coal. Full stop. I'm not on the right, I'm a power plant engineer. A combination of nat gas, hydro, nuclear, solar and wind needs to be used GLOBALLY. Bringing up the worst offenders doesn't make me any less against the rampant waste the US also produces.
But the implication by omission in your first comment is a literal talking point of API. It's their entire thing. Just distract from implementing any real change by pointing to other countries. You can say that, but in the same post you should explicitly call out the entire other side of the coin.
The USA gets about 30% of its electricity via renewables. The USA gets about 14% of its electricity through coal (14% too much). China gets about 30% of its electricity via renewables and about 60% of its electricity via coal. I can call that out for being bad without it being implied I think oil is best, no? China is the current number 1 for new renewables, USA is number 2. One of the big issues that is ignored is the exorbitant amount of electricity Americans use residentially.
In a vacuum you can say whatever you want, but in today's media environment with bad actors and bots all over, posting anonymously online to repeat Big Oil talking points requires additional context. Nothing you're saying is factually incorrect, but it just so happens to align with propaganda strategies.
That's what makes it so effective as propaganda, they can hide behind "it's not incorrect, it's just facts" but the implication (and they've openly parroted it all over) is that everything is the fault of India and China and therefore we shouldn't be trying to decarbonize and move away from fossil fuels.
Saying India and China shouldnt use coal has nothing to do with the USA decarbonizing. The US has, and continues to utilize renewables at mass scale. Pretending issues in other countries don't exist just let's global emissions continue to climb. I'm anti coal, thats kind of like my thing.
I can see you're not absorbing what I'm saying, so... ok
I'm absorbing and disagreeing completely.