Global Futures Research Paper. China’s Energy in 2050

China’s Energy in 2050
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China’s Energy in 2050
Introduction
The year 2050 is only about three decades away from now, and it is interesting to imagine how the world would be then. Even though no one precisely knows what the world will look like in 2050, experts have thought through what he or she believes it will be like in regards to the economy, pollution, and technology. Every part of the world has its own experiences hence the predictions of how the world will look like in three decades vary from one place to another. Many futurologists have predicted issues such as more population increase, genetic modifications of human beings, increase in disease, the evolution of technology in every sector such as communication, transport and infrastructure, and the upcoming geopolitical tensions across the world.
However, environmental issues remain the center of focus concerning the future. The world is more concerned about what the environment will be in decades to come. For example, global warming is an issue that started back in the 1990s but remains the focus of many people as to how it will affect the world by 2050. China is an increasingly growing country which plays a significant role in shaping how the world will be in years to come. China is one of the countries whose environment is necessary to analyze because of its influence globally. In recent years, global warming has affected China’s environment and led to its degradation. China’s environment has suffered global warming which has also contributed to other environmental effects such as a rise in sea level and adverse weather patterns. Furthermore, China is known to be one of the greatest polluters of the global environment due to its rapid economic growth which has been boosted by coal supply and oil production. This research looks at how energy use influences China’s economic growth and its consequences and expectations for the future.
Modernization of China and its Contemporary Environment
Global warming is a creation of human activities which includes the use of fossil fuels, oil, and coal that emits excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. Excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lead to extreme global warming. Sadly, the increased temperature on the earth is a potential risk to human health. Advancement in technology, rapid economic development, and modernization in China has significantly contributed to global warming. Therefore, China is currently in a dilemma of maintaining its technological growth versus combating environmental calamity which is brought about by its technology.
The population of China has also increased over the years hence leading to pollution of the environment. Many cities in China have been severely affected by pollution from its ever-growing industries which emit industrial gases into the atmosphere. Some towns in the northern parts of China have high levels of pollutants including carbon dioxide due to the factories established in the areas. Also, due to the increased demand for the usage of oil and coal in industrialization, the country continues to have high amounts of carbon dioxide and emission of other pollutants. According to Buckley (2011), China had emitted almost 7.5 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the air in 2009 and will have 12 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2035. Buckley cautions that in case China does not reduce its emissions, then it will be almost impossible to manage the impact of global warming on the environment even if other nations attempt to reduce their greenhouse emissions.
Even though China is highly populated, with almost 1.2 billion people, it also has a significant majority of poor people. In a bid to support its increasing population, the country has focused on industrialization which is translating to increased production of food and other necessities. Global warming has become a hot topic in China because of its manufacturing and modernization within its economic systems. These elements are further fastened by the need to use energy to support the industrialization process. The country increased the energy requirement and coal use during its economic development period. Ultimately, China alone has increased the global greenhouse gas emissions dramatically from the oil and coal.
Currently, the policy on the use of energy in China is based on the approach of increasing production and supply of necessary products. Back in the years, the country faced a severe shortage of energy because of the increased developments of industries. Therefore, it needed alternative sources of affordable energy to enhance the production demand and fill up the energy shortfall. The need to use alternative energy sources led to China using too much coal in its industrialization needs. In comparison to other countries globally which used alternative energy sources such as electricity, China uses coal because it is affordable. Therefore, the energy use in China has been improperly used due to its policy based on the low price of coal, the inefficiency of machinery such as boilers that are used to burn the coal, and also poor infrastructure.
The aftermath of the improper use of energy based on its policy has become a significant environmental catastrophe. China has also faced the challenges of lack of enough water, degradation of land, pollution of water. However, part of the most dangerous environmental issues is the pollution of the air. Additionally, there have been increased cases of respiratory and other health-related concerns by its population due to atmospheric pollution. The health concerns are majorly due to incomplete burning of the coal from its industrial areas. There has also been the destruction of forests, crops, and fisheries which is enhanced by extraordinary levels of acidic rains.
The modernization in China has contributed to global warming which in turn has affected both local and international environments. The main link to all these is the rapid industrial growth in China which has led to increased demand for affordable energy. To respond to the energy gap, the country uses coal and oil as there major sources of energy for industrialization. The ultimate results are devastating to the environment which hosts its population.
China’s Energy in 2050
Since China has an agenda to grow its economy through industrialization significantly, coal is likely to remain the primary source of energy for the country. However, the country is likely to devise ways of dealing with the harmful effects of coal. Some of the know effects of coal use is shortening of life expectancies of Chinese especially in the northern areas where which presents an average life expectancy which is about three years shorter than people from the south. It is essential that China’s vision of making the atmosphere clean again is not a simple task. The government’s plan is ambitious.
Currently, the Chinese government has a strategy that aims at ensuring the greenhouse emissions increase to the maximum by 2030 and reduce after that up to the lowest levels in later years including 2050. The Chinese government intends to make coal use less than 50 percent of its power source by 2050. The country has begun making serious investments in the use of renewable energy. The Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has reported that the state has added its clean energy investment to USD44 billion in 2017 from USD32 billion which is more than any other country (Davies and Westgate, 2018). Davies and Westgate (2018) also, note that China is constructing about one-third of the incoming renewable energy infrastructure.
Although some observers view China as a nation that cannot industrialize without using coal, some think otherwise. Other experts also think that the best way for China in 2050 will be the use of three sources of energy such as oils and gas, coal, and renewable energy sources. To settle the debate on which way is best for China as far as the use of energy is concerned, studies by World Wide Fund for Nature reveal that there is a possibility of China using re...