Is China secretly saving the world from climate catastrophe?

In this episode of Saving the World from Bad Ideas, Mark Lynas is joined by Lauri Myllyvirta, Lead Analyst and Co-Founder of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), to examine Bad Idea #31: “Climate crisis? It’s China that’s the problem!”

As one of the world’s most trusted analysts on China’s energy system, Lauri explains why this narrative is outdated — and how China’s clean-energy boom has become the most important climate story on the planet.

They dig into China’s extraordinary expansion of solar, wind, batteries, EVs and long-distance transmission lines; the politics behind continued coal-plant construction; the country’s dramatic air-pollution turnaround; and the global consequences if China’s emissions really have peaked.

🧠 Topics Discussed:

● 🔥 The “bad idea”: China will always burn more coal

● 📉 Why China’s CO₂ emissions have been stable or declining for 18 months

● ☀️ The solar boom: 100 solar panels installed per second

● ⚡ China’s new clean electricity each year = powering the UK twice

● 🏭 Why coal plants are still being built — and why many may sit idle

● 🪫 Battery deployment hitting 100 GW, transforming grid flexibility

● 🚗 EVs: 50% of new car sales and eating into China’s oil demand

● 🛻 The rise of electric heavy trucks and buses

● 🌬️ Wind, solar and nuclear in China’s power mix

● 🌁 China’s dramatic air-quality turnaround — and the global warming side-effects

● 🌎 Why China’s decarbonisation is now shaping global energy trends

● 🐉 Geopolitics: US decline, China’s clean-tech dominance

● 📊 Data transparency in China and how Lauri tracks the numbers

● 🔋 Solar + batteries as the cheapest power in world history

👨‍🏫 Guest Bio:

Lauri Myllyvirta is the Lead Analyst and Co-Founder of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). A globally respected expert on China’s energy system, he publishes widely in international media and frequently contributes analysis to Carbon Brief. Lauri previously worked with Greenpeace and has over a decade of experience tracking air-pollution, fossil-fuel and clean-energy trends across Asia.

More about Lauri’s work:

● CREA – https://energyandcleanair.org/

● Lauri on Carbon Brief – https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-18-months/

📚 Recommended Reading & Resources:

● CREA – China emissions & energy analysis – https://energyandcleanair.org/ ● Lauri’s latest China emissions report – https://www.energyconnects.com/news/renewables/2025/november/china-s-september-emissions-drop-keeps-annual-decline-in-play/

● Carbon Brief: China energy & climate coverage – https://www.carbonbrief.org/category/china/

● Bloomberg: China’s clean-energy boom – https://www.bloomberg.com/green

● IEA World Energy Outlook – https://www.iea.org/weo

● China solar deployment data (NEA) – http://www.nea.gov.cn/

● China EV market overview (CPCA) – https://www.cpcaauto.com/

💬 Quote Highlights:
“China’s clean-energy boom is the biggest climate story in the world right now.” — Lauri Myllyvirta

“Solar additions this year alone can power the entire UK — twice.”

“Electric cars in China are already cutting into oil demand.” “China has the ability to peak emissions now — the question is political, not technical.”

“Air pollution improved faster in China than anyone predicted — and it shows what fast action looks like.”

“China didn’t just decarbonise itself — it made clean energy cheap for the whole world.”

🌐 About WePlanet:

WePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at https://weplanet.org

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