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The Climate Question Podcast
Can China build its way out of climate change?

Can China build its way out of climate change?

The Climate Question vor 2 Wochen

Will Beijing's huge investment in infrastructure help fight global warming?

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27:48

Huge construction projects are transforming China - think
enormous dams, giant solar power farms and a vast high-speed rail
network. Will Beijing's "engineering mindset" help it deal with
climate change?

China's senior leadership is dominated by engineers, starting
with President Xi, who trained as a chemical engineer in the
1970s. They have overseen megaprojects like the 50-kilometre
bridge joining Hong Kong and Macau, and a plan to move water from
southern China to the much drier north.

The engineering mania extends to energy, where the world's
largest polluter has invested trillions of dollars in wind and
nuclear power, as well as high voltage transmission lines
spanning the country.

But China still uses a huge amount of coal power, and its mega
projects have often damaged the local environment and led to the
displacement of millions.

So what does Beijing's approach mean for climate change? And can
China build its way out of the problem?

In this edition of The Climate Question Host Jordan Dunbar and
BBC Presenter Celia Hatton talk to Dan Wang, the author of
Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. Dan is currently
a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

Producer: Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart-Smith Sound Mix:
Johnny Hall and Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts