Is it though? For developing countries, having a large supply of fossil fuels has always been a huge accelerator for industrialization and overall economic growth even if that fuel has to be imported. There really is no substitute, especially when you consider that it's not used only for transportation and power generation but also for manufacturing as an industrial heat source and chemical feed stock.
replySolar energy is cheaper than oil right now. On average. Too bad it's highly variable but if you can cope with extreme variability you can get extremely cheap energy.
replyPretty tough to cope with variability if you want to build a modern industrial economy. I mean even with cheap labor it kind of kills your cost structure when capital intensive facilities have to shut down due to electricity shortage. Plus there are plenty of industrial processes that require fossil fuels as inputs separate from just electricity.
replyChina seems to think so. Their efforts to boost their non-carbon energy sources is going at an advanced clip, along with their advances in EVs.
replyNot saying they're above reproach, but their energy policy certainly trumps ours.
fossil fuels were a proxy for energy. China continues to show the world that energy independence can come via electricity that you generate within your borders, and that it can be cheaper than importing foreign oil.
replyChina is in no way energy independent. Their fossil fuel imports are extremely high and not decreasing.
replyChina's gasoline use is down substantially. Industrial use is up, but much of that is re exported via plastic etc.
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