China Shifting Energy Focus

Guest Blogger – Michigan Mary
This is Michigan Mary’s final blog post. We wish her the best of luck in all future endeavors.

A lot of times China gets a bad rap for its current environmental standards. The present degradation paired with the intense population within this country has lead to some serious environmental issues. Recently, however, China has disclosed that it plans to utilize 20 percent renewable energy by 2020.

That is a pretty impressive goal, and an effort that should be applauded. Here in the United States we currently get about 15 percent of our energy from renewable sources, while around the world approximately 18 percent of energy is provided from renewable sources. As one of the most densely population regions in the world, China’s shift in energy policy is crucial to global progress on this issue.

China is known for being aggressive with its short- and long-term goals. This aggressive stance will increase the likelihood that the goal of increased alternative energy use will be reached. However, China is also notorious for using empty rhetoric to try and find its way on the world scene. What do you think – will China hold true on its promise? What are the implications of this goal for the region and for the world?