Prof. Aseem Prakash, Graduate Student Hanjie Wang and Prof. Nives Dolšak tell us that China's energy plan will prioritize the economy over the environment.
One analysis of a group of 20 countries committed public finance places China near the top in terms of funding for clean energy vs. fossil fuels. But Beijing’s recovery package isn’t likely to establish China as a green stimulus leader. The Chinese government is encouraging regional governments to increase coal production as the economy begins to recover from the COVID-19recession. There have been no major citizen protests to date. This means reviving the economy and focusing on regulating the wildlife trade, which many scientists blame for outbreaks like SARS and COVID-19, is likely to become higher policy priorities, despite the potential forlong-term health benefits of renewable energy. Despite the talk of government support for new infrastructure, Beijing may pay less attention to climate issues overall, and sidestep the opportunity to become a global leader in climate change solutions.