China’s Great Climate Leap Forward? feat. Seaver Wang

"China will cut carbon emissions by over 65% by 2030" according to
Chinese President Xi Jinping. In addition two new studies published
by the leading and highly influential Chinese Climate research
institutes at Tsinghua university model net-zero emissions by 2050
and carbon neutrality by 2060. These models suggest a 10x increase
in solar and wind and a 7x increase in nuclear by 2050. By 2050
China is forecasted to have more nuclear capacity then the rest of
the world combined.  What explains the policy shift away from
a logic of differential responsibilities whereby climate change was
seen as a problem created by the west and the west's responsibility
to mitigate?  China is vulnerable to climate change. Energy
security is a another major issue with the memory of a US imposed
oil blockade during the Korean war and 70% of its oil being
imported via the strategic and vulnerable straights of Malacca.
Finally in the context of Trump's abandonment of the Paris Accords
Chinese leadership on climate change comes with some soft power
benefits.  I am joined by Dr. Seaver Wang a climate and energy
analyst at the Breakthrough institute to break it all down for us.