The growth in China over the past 3 decades has elevated it to a global superpower. However, its economic miracle has also attracted attention for the wrong reasons: the country is now the world's largest energy consumer, oil importer, and CO₂ emitter. Nevertheless, this is no longer a fair reflection of the country's energy situation.
China is now the world's largest user of green energy, accounting for 17% of global investment in the industry. It installed an average of more than one wind turbine every hour of every day in 2015. By 2030 it is hoped that cleaner energy will help reduce China's CO₂ emissions by 54% from 2010 levels.
Compared with other countries, China still has a long way to go. Britain, for instance, recently managed a day without coal for the first time in more than 130 years, while other countries have drastically cut their carbon footprint.