Jennifer Granholm, the secretary of the US Department of Energy, said Friday that Americans could learn a lot from what China is doing to combat climate change.
During an interview at the annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, Granholm praised China’s efforts to reduce climate change, saying that the country is more sensitive than the US.
The US Energy Information Administration reports, “55% of China’s energy is now derived from coal, compared to 11% in the US.” Granholm made these claims despite the fact that China recently set its coal production record.
Wajahat Ali, a host of the SXSW Studio, discussed China’s negligence regarding climate during his interview with Granholm.
Upon hearing this, he prompted Granholm, saying that the US and China neglect the environment so much that it causes “so much harm to the world.”
“I want to talk about accountability,” Ali said. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but — with China, specifically, right?” I hate to say that it is China and the United States of America doing so much damage to the world regarding climate change. It’s not just Wuhan, and it’s China and the United States of America too.”
He asked, “How do we hold ourselves and China accountable for what we do around the world?”
John Kerry, the US’s official climate envoy, has been trying to get all these countries to agree to aggressive targets so we won’t have climate – global warming beyond 1.5 degrees.”
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During the interview, she explained that the US aims to be net zero by 2050 and is “really pushing other countries to do the same.”
In her remarks, Granholm said, “We know there are some countries that are outliers and don’t care.” However, she clarified, “China is not one of them.”
In response, she praised China’s efforts in addressing climate change, saying, “The Chinese government has been very sensitive and has invested greatly in their solutions to accomplish their goals.”
“So we’re hopeful that, you know, we can all learn from what China is doing.” said Granholm.”
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She also noted that “the amount of money they are investing in clean energy is encouraging.”
Over the last couple of years, the US and China have agreed to cooperate on the climate crisis, but some experts wonder if China is as serious about protecting the environment as it claims.
Chuck DeVore, chief national initiatives officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Fox News Digital in February that Chinese climate initiatives are “merely a device to manipulate gullible Westerners into thinking we can get meaningful cooperation.”
