4 ms·

Is the US still the largest user of energy in the world? How about per capita? My guess is that it is up there, so why bother pointing the finger elsewhere?

philjohn 3y ago
Isn't China massively rolling out China and nuclear as well? It feels like their coal usage is bridging, rather than permanent.
- pmg102 3y ago
  > massively rolling out China I think you need an edit there
  - philjohn 3y ago
    indeed I do. I meant rolling out solar.
mcv 3y ago
Per capita absolutely. Per country perhaps not. The pointing to China and India is pointless. If you invest in other forms of energy, you also set an example for others. And you don't have any right to complain about the pollution of others if you're still polluting more. And the US, still the richest country in the world, should absolutely take the lead here, instead of demanding that China and India take the lead. China and India should absolutely clean up their energy sector, but so should the US and the EU.
- bluGill 3y ago
  The US and EU are both cleaning up their energy sector. There are setbacks (Germany closed all nuclear power plants in favor of coal, a number of US politicians are trying to drill more oil and dig more coal), but overall both are improving fast.
mattw2121 3y ago
The US is the 2nd largest energy user in the world -- China is 1st. This story is about coal usage. China and India use far more coal than the US. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coal-consumption-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coal-cons...
- defrost 3y ago
  China imports a billion+ tonnes of raw iron per annum and uses vast amounts of coal to make steel (of many grades, not just "cheap" lowest cost lowest grade) of which a large amount goes to the USofA, Europe and elsewhere. Given it's trade complexity, a significant portion of its coal use goes toward the manufacture of other peoples consumables to met other peoples demand. Like it or not the US is part of that chain.

philjohn 3y ago

Isn't China massively rolling out China and nuclear as well? It feels like their coal usage is bridging, rather than permanent.

pmg102 3y ago
> massively rolling out China I think you need an edit there
- philjohn 3y ago
  indeed I do. I meant rolling out solar.

mcv 3y ago

Per capita absolutely. Per country perhaps not. The pointing to China and India is pointless. If you invest in other forms of energy, you also set an example for others. And you don't have any right to complain about the pollution of others if you're still polluting more. And the US, still the richest country in the world, should absolutely take the lead here, instead of demanding that China and India take the lead. China and India should absolutely clean up their energy sector, but so should the US and the EU.

bluGill 3y ago
The US and EU are both cleaning up their energy sector. There are setbacks (Germany closed all nuclear power plants in favor of coal, a number of US politicians are trying to drill more oil and dig more coal), but overall both are improving fast.

mattw2121 3y ago

The US is the 2nd largest energy user in the world -- China is 1st. This story is about coal usage. China and India use far more coal than the US. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coal-consumption-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coal-cons...

defrost 3y ago
China imports a billion+ tonnes of raw iron per annum and uses vast amounts of coal to make steel (of many grades, not just "cheap" lowest cost lowest grade) of which a large amount goes to the USofA, Europe and elsewhere. Given it's trade complexity, a significant portion of its coal use goes toward the manufacture of other peoples consumables to met other peoples demand. Like it or not the US is part of that chain.