21 November 2025 – Back home after 10 days in China, this article gives an overview of some of my impressions from what I saw and experienced.
First of all, The Club of Rome’s conference had an ambitious title, “Earth-Humanity Reconciliation.” It was a rather large-scale event organised, among others, by UNESCO, The Club of Rome and the Shanghai University of Engineering Science. It was a marathon of presentations and discussions among researchers from 15 different countries, and I did my best to absorb as much as I could.
The meeting reinforced my impression that the Chinese authorities are serious about the energy transition. They adopted the concept of “Ecological Civilisation,” 生态文明 (shēngtài wénmíng), which is now an official government policy, enshrined in the Chinese constitution. The idea is that nature and the human economy must exist in harmony — a concept also expressed as “the two mountains.”
Is it just talk? I would say no. When the Chinese authorities set their minds on something, they usually do it and they do it seriously. It’s not that greenwashing does not exist in China, but they have understood one thing: if they don’t quickly free themselves from fossil fuels, they will not be able to maintain the prosperity they have built through decades of hard work and sacrifice.
China imports almost all the oil and gas it uses, which is expensive and makes the country strategically vulnerable. Coal remains the main source of electricity for now (60% of total power production, compared with about 40% from renewables), but it is highly polluting and cannot last forever. The conference explored pathways to achieve net-zero emissions. The current government plan is to reach this by 2060. It may be too late to avoid major damage, but the Chinese authorities are known for exceeding expectations when they commit to a goal. In this, they are helped by a population that has stopped growing and has begun a slow decline, reducing pressure on resources and generating less pollution.
China’s success in renewable energy has been remarkable. Chinese industry now produces photovoltaic systems at costs so low that they beat all other sources except perhaps wind. Added to this are low-cost batteries, electric vehicles, automation, robotics and the electrification of the economic system. These are all areas where China is gaining a technological advantage over Western countries that may soon be impossible to bridge. The point is not only that China is moving forward; it is that we in the West are moving backward. Instead of investing in the future, we are struggling to maintain obsolete technologies. What can one say? We will get what we deserve.
Renewable energy production in China is growing exponentially, while coal production is stalling and is expected to decline. The results are visible. Chinese cities were once known for severe air pollution, but today, if you walk along the busy boulevards of Shanghai, you can smell the aromatic plants along the roadside (apart from places dominated by smells from restaurants). The only noise you hear is the hum of electric motors. Scooters are all electric. Most private cars are electric, too. Heavy traffic is not yet electrified, but the work is under way.
Should we learn from China as we try to solve our current impasse? I think so. You may be interested in a recent book by Chandran Nair and others, Understanding China. Below, Nair is pictured while giving a talk at the Suzhou conference.
Chandran Nair is one of the few non-Chinese intellectuals who take the Chinese experience seriously and consider how it could be applied in Western countries. He discussed the concept of the “strong state,” In his book The Sustainable State (2018), Chandran Nair forcefully makes the point that no serious measures can be taken against threats such as pollution or climate change if the state is not strong. That does not mean a dictatorship: it means a state that enjoys citizens’ trust, supports itself through a fair taxation system, and can clamp down on attempts by lobbies to carve the nation’s wealth among themselves.
Is it a good recipe to adopt for Western countries? The success of the Chinese system so far does not mean it can easily be adapted elsewhere. Nor it is clear that the Chinese system will be able to face the challenges awaiting humankind in the near future: mineral depletion, pollution and climate change. But one thing is certain: the Chinese authorities are doing something important and there is much we can learn from them.
