Driven by Steel Production, China’s Belt and Road Construction Carries a Heavy Climate Cost

    Driven by Steel Production, China’s Belt and Road Construction Carries a Heavy Climate Cost

    China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the world’s largest ongoing infrastructure program, has a substantial climate impact. More than half its emissions stem from steel, the majority of which was produced in China. Cutting the emissions will require stronger environmental policies and major investment in cleaner manufacturing technologies, two new studies concluded. More than 130 million…

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    Muhammad Imran and his wife, Asma Rafique, sit in the courtyard of their home in Qadirabad near the Sahiwal coal power plant. Credit: Aman Azhar/Inside Climate News

      The Chinese Coal Offer Pakistan Couldn’t Afford But Didn’t Refuse

      Planet China: Fourteenth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world. QADIRABAD, Pakistan—Only a few weeks to wrap up a lifetime. The thought crossed Muhammad Imran’s mind and lingered as he prepared in November to depart the country with his family, perhaps for good. Disheartened by Pakistan’s chronic…

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