1. What matters is absolute emissions, period.
2. The US has invested in pollution control for decades, so on an inflation-adjusted basis the aggregate investment by the US would be far greater.
3. As the largest polluter & the largest manufacturer it makes sense China's investment would be greater, but see #1.
Furthermore, China is now a world leader in both solar and nuclear, and they're actively exporting this technology. The reality of the situation is that investing into clean energy is very profitable, and China has now secured its position as the world leader. When other countries start getting their act together, they'll be buying this technology from China.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Who gives what China is failing at: we need a technological evolution that works with the planet.
Folks who say, “well they’re not doing it so why should we?” Are abdicating all responsibility and are probably lazy citizens to begin with.
1. CA truck emission standards preclude about 40% of chassis from entering CA ports until they meet standards.
2. CA regs, until this week, prevented stacking containers more than 2 high.
3. Ports not short labor, in fact they just added a night shift - well underutilized b/c 1 & 2 above.
RE: Coal
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/coal-pile...
2. No, that wasn't 'CA regs'. It was a local Long Beach ordinance. And it was for empties. And it was never a problem before but as soon as Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen brought it up, Long Beach issued an emergency variance [1], like within a day. FWIW, the Seattle Fire Department has the same two high regulation.
3. There are a lot more points in the supply chain that use labor and that have been affected by COVID than container crane operators. It is a complex issue [4].
[1] https://longbeach.gov/press-releases/city-of-long-beach-stat...
Yes, the United States exports coal, quite a bit [2], 4th in the world [3].
[2] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/imports-and-exports...
[3] https://www.worldstopexports.com/coal-exports-country/
[4] https://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/cargo_congestion_on_we...
Got a source for this?
China is the world's biggest C02 producer and has declared it has no more concessions to make. Yet the world is content to watch America fall further into debt & inflation as climate-focused regulations impact logistics, energy & manufacturing. In sum, the US is destabilizing, risking social disorder, for a goal its competitors will not meet.
For example, US coal supplies are the lowest they've been in decades at a time when domestic energy demands are requiring about 16% more coal than last year. Similarly, the backlog at California ports is largely due to environmental regulations enacted by the CA legislature (truck emissions primarily).
Putting this imbalance in national security context... Resources China & Russia could be allocating to climate change are instead directed to offensive hypersonic weapons, nuclear launch capabilities & forward deployed bases. The US is scrambling to match these investments and innovations in a more expensive labor/procurement environment & while facing all manner of distractions declared national priorities, yet having nothing to do with real security.