What’s stopping China from leading the world’s climate fight?
Our weekly podcast on China. This week: the world’s biggest polluter is also pumping out the technologies needed to save the planet
LONGi is one of the world’s biggest solar manufacturers. At its headquarters in Shaanxi province, robots turn slices of silicon into solar cells around the clock. Companies like LONGi have helped China become a clean-energy powerhouse. The solar panels and lithium-ion batteries the country produces are crucial for greening the world’s economies.
But China is also the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. Shaanxi province is home to a thriving coal industry. And China’s love affair with the stuff is far from over: last year, on average, two new coal-fired power plants were approved every week. The country has work to do if it’s to hit Xi Jinping’s target of being carbon-neutral by 2060.
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The Intelligence
The flare-up in Syria’s frozen war shows how distracted its players are
Also on the daily podcast: a futile attempt to disappear from the internet and the winners from the next “Trump trades”
Editor’s Picks
A closer look at the politics of Argentina’s president
A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist
The Intelligence
Has Javier Milei’s first year as Argentina’s president been a success?
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Money Talks
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Our podcast on markets, the economy and business. This week, roughly 100m people not far above the poverty line have invested in the market. Is that a financial risk?
The Intelligence
Why a peace deal in Sudan is so elusive
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Babbage
The surprising ways in which games have changed the world—an interview with Kelly Clancy
Our podcast on science and technology. The neuroscientist, physicist and author untangles how games shape society
