Serious students of climate science know that developed nations peak in energy demand and carbon emissions and subsequently decline as the technology advances. The U.S. and Britain both hit those peaks between 2007 and 2018 and a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that China has too.
“In China, growth in energy demand slowed to under 3% in 2024, half the rate in 2023 and well below China’s average annual growth of 4.3% in recent years,” the report says. “Emissions growth in China slowed in 2024, though per-capita emissions are now 16% higher than in advanced economies and nearly twice the global average.”
The IEA now warns that “emerging and developing economies accounted for over 80% of global energy demand growth.”
Energy growth is related to an improved quality of life for nations but climate activists hate the very notion of increased energy usage. You could frame it this way: Why do some countries get to improve the lives of its citizens with energy use while others are warned not to?
As African entrepreneur Magatte Wade puts it: “They’re burning coal in Europe while telling Africa to stick to solar. Colonial mindset never died, it just went green.”
