• mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Because the heavy positives come with some heavy negatives. China is an authoritarian nation that is making huge leaps and bounds here by using unilateral and undemocratic command to shift their nation state. They have near zero labor safety practices and are 100% happy to strip mine theirs or a foreign nation to get the resources to produce these important and valuable goods.

    The heavy, direct influence of a billion+ person goverment dumping untold resources into producing EVs/Solar/etc at dirt cheap rates, then selling them, means that no other country can create it’s own independent industry in these very important products. That leaves climate change, and the worlds fate, in the hands of said authoritarian government, a, goverment that is still glad to spin up untold coal plants/oil plants/etc. That’s partly why tariffs have been springing up, although that’s also just flat out economic protectionism too.

    Basically, China is brutally efficient here because they are brutal. Countires that are not cant compete or applaud this because its based on destruction of people, and democracies aren’t nominally a fan of that.

    The other point here, past the brutality aspect, is that even if China was a shining example of democracy, you still don’t want one nation to be the only one that can produce these key climate change goods. Their oncoming recession is likely going to cause lots of issues with their progress here, so other countries spinning up these industries, even with teething pains, is a positive.

    • blazera@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      The heavy, direct influence of a billion+ person goverment dumping untold resources into producing EVs/Solar/etc at dirt cheap rates, then selling them, means that no other country can create it’s own independent industry in these very important products.

      Why cant the US dump more resources to compete? Why is the answer to one country investing heavily in climate change fighting technologies not to invest heavily in climate change fighting technologies yourself?

      • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        its harder to move money and make decisions in democracies, but it does happen.

        Bidens IRA was 1.2 trillion dollars invested in largely climate change and modern infastructure, although with tons of other projects as well. Its a huge commitment. Is it enough?

        Maybe not, but at least Democrats aren’t trying to do zero or worse lie their peers.

        • blazera@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Problem is, its not largely climate change spending. Everyone just sees the headline “biggest climate bill in history” and thats good enough for them. Well, wheres the cheaper EV’s? Wheres the solar panels, the wind farms, why is oil production still increasing? Everyone got scammed. Its a puny climate bill that even has anti climate components like more land leasing for oil and gas extraction. It got poisoned with lobbyists and capitalism, its tax cuts for businesses in hopes theyll do good.

          • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            No one got scammed. Infastructure is hard, as the article this post is about explains. Shit takes time to get rolling. You don’t just get money approved and order a solar panel factory off eBay or alibaba.

            You have to scout sites, get permits, architects, builders, order parts, hire a staff, etc on and on and on.

            These chinese companies already had everything streamlined and ready to go, so they are getting a leg up in the American market. Thats good in the sense that at least the factories are over here. The American brands will catch up, or at least have the same chance to catch up. That the most you can do in a market driven democracy. The subsides are out there now thanks to Bidens IRA.

            • blazera@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              Youre not telling me anything thats unique to the US. China has shown it doesnt take that long. Its not a matter of time for the US, the money in that bill just did not get put to good use

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        While China may have more people, certainly the Western countries have much more wealth we could choose to use toward decarbonization