Beijing- In the midst of the global climate crisis, China stands out as a giant leading the clean energy revolution at an unprecedented pace. From the vast wind farms in the northwest of the Gobi Desert, to the roofs of the solar panels in Guangdong in the south, China appears to steal steadily towards a green future.
But this bright image hides a complex story that relies on polluted supply chains full of contradictions, as rare minerals are the hidden nerve of this transformation, so how does China balance its green ambitions and the reality of relying on resources that threaten the sustainability of its climate project?
Green Leadership .. amazing numbers
China is the largest global renewable energy market, with its projects represented about 40% of global growth in this sector during 2023, according to the IRNA, as the country spent more than $ 500 billion during the same year on winds, solar and green hydrogen, according to the same source.
The capacity of renewable energy in China is 1450 GW, distributed between 430 GB solar energy, winds of winds (400 GB) and electromacy (420 GB), according to the data of the Chinese National Energy Authority.
In the transportation sector, China occupied the lead in the world with electric cars sales amounting to 6.8 million units in 2022, representing 60% of the global market, according to the Chinese Automobile Industry Association.
But these giant achievements do not come from a vacuum, as rare minerals are the password such as nodimum and vanathanom, which are vital components for the manufacture of green technologies. A single -winding winding magnet with a capacity of 3 megawatts needs 200 kilograms of these minerals, according to the USGS (USGS) while electric cars depend on them in their batteries and engines.
China, which leads the world in clean energy, also controls 60% of the production of rare minerals globally, and 85% of its processing operations, according to the American Authority.
Rare minerals are a double -edged sword
Although Chinese hegemony over the rare mineral market gives it an unprecedented geopolitical power, it is not without a heavy price. In areas such as the internal Mongolia, where the mines of these minerals are converted, fertile agricultural lands turn into arid areas due to the toxic waste resulting from mining.
According to the Friends of the Earth Organization, in the report “The Hidden Green Energy,” she said that rare mineral mining operations in China have devastating effects on the environment, including water pollution and soil with radiation and toxic waste.
Global Whitens said in its 2023 report that “internal Mongolia” (the far northern China region has self -rule) that has lost 40% of its agricultural lands during the past decade, while the population suffers from respiratory and dermome diseases due to pollution.
The challenges are not limited to the environmental side only, as China – which aims to achieve carbon neutrality (reaching net carbon dioxide emissions zero value) by 2060 – still depends on coal to meet 56% of its energy needs, according to the International Energy Agency.
Cein Consulting Director Senovol Shane Song believes that the shift from fossil -based energy systems to renewable energy will have significant social and economic effects.
Shin said – in a statement to Al -Jazeera Net – that this transformation requires in the short term huge investments and a radical restructuring of the energy sector, which may affect some traditional sectors and the regions relied upon.
She added that about 1.5 million people are threatened with losing their functions in the charcoal sector by 2030, which threatens social stability in areas such as the southern China Chanchi Province, which was supported by the United Nations International Labor Organization in the “Green Jobs in China 2023” report, where it demanded fair transitional policies to support workers.
Geopolitical dominance … gains and criticisms
China has used rare minerals a pressure tool in its commercial conflicts. In 2010, when the exports of these minerals to Japan reduced a dispute over the Senkaku Islands, the world realized the strength of this negotiating paper.
Today, China is strengthening its presence through the “Belt and Road Initiative”, as it funds mining projects in countries such as Myanmar and Kazakhstan. But these investments face great criticism, as British writer Isabelle Hilton of the China Dialog Center explains in an article that China’s financing for coal stations in Africa and Asia does not comply with its climate discourse, and reflects a flagrant contradiction in its foreign policy.
The future of transformation .. innovations and conflicts
In the face of these challenges, China is counting on innovation to overcome its crises. In the Schengen laboratories in the south of the country, scientists are developing electrical engines free of rare minerals, in cooperation with companies such as American Tesla, while experiments are carried out in the South China Sea to extract minerals from the depths of the ocean, as the country aims to raise the rate of mineral recycling from electronic waste to 30% by 2030, according to the Chinese Academy of Science.
But the road is still risky. According to the 2023 report of the American consulting company, China may face one of these two scenarios by 2030: either the renewable energy reaches 40% of its electricity mix (total production) or coal remains in control by 50% due to the accelerated economic growth.
A thorny road .. climate pressures and growth requirements
China appears to be stuck between climate pressure and the requirements of economic development. While its statistics show unprecedented leaps in the field of clean energy, the effects of carbon remain deep due to its dependence on rare coal and minerals.
Experts believe that China’s leadership of the global transformation towards clean energy is subject to its ability to prove that its model is able to reconcile growth and sustainability.
According to mechanical engineering professor Shanghai University Jiao Tong “Ren Tao”, the remaining period for China to move from the peak of emissions to carbon neutrality will be much shorter than those available to developed countries.
Ren Tao – in a research paper published on a research site – explained that the reach of China in the carbon peak in 2030 – as it pledged – means that it will have only about 30 years to achieve carbon neutrality. To achieve this goal, Beijing needs immediate amendments to economic and social development paths, with high costs.
