Many environmentalists (understandably) point to our planet’s most prosperous nations to lead the battle on climate change and green energy. It is only logical to expect countries like the United States, which comprises a disproportionally large percentage of the global energy demands compared to its population, to invest in new technologies. Perhaps the main reason this has not happened so far is the smaller effect climate change has had on America; global warming affects poorer nations much more than richer ones.
It is therefore not surprising that countries with developing economies, namely China and India, have been investing greatly in clean energy. The benefits to these nations are broad: from increased to self-reliance to stable middle class jobs.
India became the first country increase regulations on LED bulbs, an effort that expects to eliminate 254 million metric tons of pollution due to reduced electricity production over a 15 year span.
Meanwhile, China is set to become the solar and wind energy capital of the world. In fact, the IEA (International Energy Agency) predicts that by the year 2021, over one third of the power produced by these means will be created in China. With the scale of their operations increasing daily, they are able to sell electricity at a rate of under $50/MWh, something that has never been done before.
These nations are not changing their energy infrastructure for purely humanitarian reasons. The IEA claims that over the next 25 years, all of the growth in power needs will be from nations such as China and India. With growing populations and economies, their actions are required to ensure stability amongst their citizens. They must also recognize that doing so will only further fuel growth in said economies, a positive feedback loop that is both profitable and sustainable.
