China takes the lead on cleaning up air pollution

Daniel K. Gardner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Today, China is the world’s largest investor in renewable energy, with outlays in 2015 totaling $103 billion, more than double U.S. spending of $44 billion. Of the planet’s 8.1 million jobs in renewable energy, 3.5 million are in China, whereas fewer than 1 million are in the United States. Persuaded that clean energy is good for the environment and the economy, China has committed $367 billion through 2020 to the development of renewable power sources — a level of investment that is expected to generate 13 million jobs.

China also is looking beyond its borders, by exporting the expertise it has developed in renewable energy and supporting technologies. In 2016, China invested tens of billions in renewable energy projects in Australia, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia and elsewhere. Read the entire article here.

Stock Photo: In China, the number of premature deaths from air pollution is more than 1 million every year. Each year, 200,000 Americans die prematurely because of bad air quality.

ALSO IN THE NEWS