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> The propaganda machine in the US has tricked a huge number of Americans into sabotaging their own industrial future, merely to give fossil fuel infrastructure

> The propaganda machine in the US has tricked a huge number of Americans into sabotaging their own industrial future, merely to give fossil fuel infrastructure stocks a few more years of slightly higher profits. It's instructive to compare and contrast the countries, and I think the driving forces are actually quite simple. Both countries desire energy independence and thriving domestic industry. Who doesn't? But while the USA is a net fossil fuel exporter, China is a net importer. While the USA has a long-established automobile industry and shown willingness to bail it out more than once, China is a relative newcomer to this industry. China is for better or worse prepared to set industrial strategy more rigorously and over longer time periods than others. A while back China took a bet on non-fossil fuel technologies as a source of both energy independence and a way to get early into a new industry. This is now paying off hugely. It's not purely a green ideological choice, they still use coal heavily. It was strategic - to reduce dependence on imported oil, and "leapfrog" into being a major player in an emerging industry, rather than trying to catch up with ICE engines. Meanwhile the USA continues to shore up the fossil-fuel chain from extraction to consumption in ICE automobiles. I find this short-sighted and unwise in many ways. And the negative consequences are likely coming soon. but it is not a very surprising choice given where they are and how they make such decisions.

rsynnott 11mo ago
One thing I always find fascinating is, if you look at global warming denialism globally, it largely only exists as a political force in oil (or occasionally coal) producing nations. In terms of big-ish democratic countries, it's a mainstream right-wing stance pretty much only in the US, Australia, Canada, and Indonesia. The US is essentially embracing a delusion which happens to (arguably) financially benefit it _right now_, but will be dreadful for its future. (It's broadly popular with fringe far-right groups like Reform and the AfD, granted)

rsynnott 11mo ago

One thing I always find fascinating is, if you look at global warming denialism globally, it largely only exists as a political force in oil (or occasionally coal) producing nations. In terms of big-ish democratic countries, it's a mainstream right-wing stance pretty much only in the US, Australia, Canada, and Indonesia. The US is essentially embracing a delusion which happens to (arguably) financially benefit it _right now_, but will be dreadful for its future. (It's broadly popular with fringe far-right groups like Reform and the AfD, granted)