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What is everybody's opinion on this?
I am left wondering why China is making all of these "green" changes; more renewables, planting trees at the edges of deserts, etc. I mean, I guess it could be altruistic, to help the Earth and it's people. However, I just don't see that kind of attitude coming out of China. So, again, I am left wondering what their angle is. Is it simply to "stick it" to the United States? What is everybody's opinion on this?
China's answer is fairly straightforward - jobs, exports, energy independence, wind/solar is cheaper, and they have 1.3B people who don't want to live in a big polluted desert.
China accounts for more than 25% of the global net increase in leaf area between 2000 and 2017, according to NASA data https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/china-has-pl... China's also been a major supporter of the Great Green Wall of Africa providing technology and funding. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302068/why-...
Addressing desertification of land is actually pretty smart. It's not pure charity. The land is actually more valuable when it isn't a desert anymore. If the land can support soil and hold water again, it becomes suitable for farming. If you don that sustainably (i.e. don't allow it to turn it back into desert), that adds to the economy. There's a lot of degraded land all over the world that with a little bit of focu…
However, when you come across a field of wheat, rape or corn it's notable how little diversity there remains. A complete absence of birds or insects for example. The agricultural deserts, I believe, are as damaging as their drought based cousins.
I am left wondering why China is making all of these "green" changes; more renewables, planting trees at the edges of deserts, etc. I mean, I guess it could be altruistic, to help the Earth and it's people. However, I just don't see that kind of attitude coming out of China. So, again, I am left wondering what their angle is. Is it simply to "stick it" to the United States? What is everybody's opinion on this?
The huge solar rollout is very much because China thinks it might end up in a war, and they are currently very vulnerable to a blockade for energy resources, and grid scale solar is unblockadable for like 20 years. You can bomb it, but that's a hard mission.
If what I believe is correct, there would also be evidence of China creating unblockadable food transport lines and relationships.
Global Warming is well understood all over the world. China doesn't want the world to suck right before they finally undo their Century of Humiliation and retake their "rightful" place as mega empire that exports culture and tech and power. They want to be the super power ruling over an awesome world, not ruling over ashes.
I've heard arguments that China has fairly limited "Soft power", and they really want to fix that, which takes actions that at least look altruistic and win-win.
With the US self-defeating, China is in a great place to be the leader of a stable world, and even be a counterweight to an abusive USA.
How much deforestation over the past decades has been reversed and is deforestation currently under control?
The main problem with attempts at reversing the damage is that forests aren't fungible. An old growth forest has a rich, balanced ecosystem. Newly planted forests tend to be susceptible to catastrophic damage by various critters, as the species mix is much less complex, and their fauna and flora is relatively impoverished.
I am left wondering why China is making all of these "green" changes; more renewables, planting trees at the edges of deserts, etc. I mean, I guess it could be altruistic, to help the Earth and it's people. However, I just don't see that kind of attitude coming out of China. So, again, I am left wondering what their angle is. Is it simply to "stick it" to the United States? What is everybody's opinion on this?
I think the real question is the other way around; why isn't the US the world leader in this? China's answer is fairly straightforward - jobs, exports, energy independence, wind/solar is cheaper, and they have 1.3B people who don't want to live in a big polluted desert.
there are a lot of surprises, for example texas being the #1 state for renewable energy production
I am left wondering why China is making all of these "green" changes; more renewables, planting trees at the edges of deserts, etc. I mean, I guess it could be altruistic, to help the Earth and it's people. However, I just don't see that kind of attitude coming out of China. So, again, I am left wondering what their angle is. Is it simply to "stick it" to the United States? What is everybody's opinion on this?
China accounts for more than 25% of the global net increase in leaf area between 2000 and 2017, according to NASA data https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/china-has-pl... China's also been a major supporter of the Great Green Wall of Africa providing technology and funding. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302068/why-...
And most of their carbon dioxide production is due to “developed countries” consumption
I am left wondering why China is making all of these "green" changes; more renewables, planting trees at the edges of deserts, etc. I mean, I guess it could be altruistic, to help the Earth and it's people. However, I just don't see that kind of attitude coming out of China. So, again, I am left wondering what their angle is. Is it simply to "stick it" to the United States? What is everybody's opinion on this?