China demands preferential treatment for climate change – Raised by that?

Essay by Eric Worrall

Although the IEA states “Solar energy is the cheapest energy in history“, China has asked to continue to increase emissions until 2030, to pull their people out of poverty.

Pacific: Australia is under pressure on climate change, China gets free tickets

Andrew Tillett Political reporter
July 15, 2022 – 3:11 pm

Anthony Albanese has vindicated his trip to Fiji to attend the Pacific Islands Forum, saying Australia’s standing in the region has been enhanced as it competes with China.

And one of the Prime Minister’s key allies, Pacific Secretary Pat Conroy, thinks China’s push for influence could be thwarted if it doesn’t do more to reduce its carbon emissions.

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But while Australia is being urged to do more and is sometimes attacked at the Pacific Islands Forum for its emissions targets, China is not getting the same treatment despite being the biggest emitter. the world in absolute terms.

China says developing nations like themselves enjoy preferential treatment and should be allowed to keep increasing their emissions to pull people out of poverty. It projects its emissions to peak in 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2060.

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Read more: https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pacific-australia-pressured-on-climate-change-china-gets-a-free-pass-20220715-p5b1xc

I don’t understand. If renewables are the “cheapest energy in history”, why are they the second choice of developing countries? Should China and all other developing countries focus their efforts on building solar capacity?

Why do the Pacific islanders, who show great concern about their climate whenever possible, accept China’s claim that they need more time? Sure they protested lightly – but Australia was the main focus of their attacks.

All of this would make sense if China truly believed that coal and gas were the cheapest sources of energy and the Pacific leaders ignored China’s emissions because China bought them outright – but surely all these people wouldn’t lie about climate change and renewable energy, would they?