The world’s largest emitter just delivered some good climate news

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By Umair Irfan, Vox. 

Excerpt: China is the world’s largest single greenhouse gas emitter, spewing more than double the amount of heat-trapping chemicals as the next biggest climate polluter, the United States. ...At one point, China was approving two new coal power plants per week. ...But now, for the first time, there’s been a shift: China’s greenhouse gas emissions have actually fallen even as energy demand went up. ...greenhouse gas output fell 1 percent over the past year, even as China’s overall energy use and economic activity increased. ...In large part, the decline in emissions came from clean electricity production. China deployed vastly more wind, solar, and nuclear power — sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide — at a pace faster than its electricity demand growth. Meanwhile, its coal and gas electricity production dropped. ...China has established itself as the world’s largest producer of solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and batteries, driving down prices for the global market. It’s deploying these technologies within its own borders, as well as exporting them en masse, and some of its biggest customers are developing countries. That means China’s investments in clean energy redound to the rest of the world. Renewables accounted for 90 percent of new power capacity installed worldwide last year.... 

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