At the moment, China is almost undoubtedly burning coal faster than it's going green; but the renewable energy agenda is nevertheless charging ahead. An article in The Christian Science Monitor touts the benefits of solar for nomadic peoples whose lifestyle has been dramatically altered for the better thanks to government-subsidized photovoltaic units that can sit atop a yurt and power a small heater, radio, TV and a few lightbulbs.
The panels -- which are manufactured by Shell subsidiaries -- are underwritten in part by the Chinese and Dutch governments, leaving the cost to the consumer at approximately 1/10 of a year's income for the average rural nomad. Among the users, there's no doubt that the price is worth paying. One woman interviewed in the article explains that the panel has increased her access to knowledge, helped her children pursue their studies, and protected her animals from predators (thus saving her money):
"Before we had a TV, it would take months for us to find out about news. These are big changes."[...]She favors dramas and news programs in Uighur and her native Kazakh language, but after TV opened new worlds, she switched her children from the local Kazakh school to that of the Han Chinese. Her children will be educated in the language of China's ethnic majority.
"From TV I learned [Mandarin] Chinese is very important to the future, to getting jobs," says Sitkan, her voice becoming insistent. "I hope they go to college. I don't want them to be nomads; it's too hard."
Ambitious deadlines and serious funding have been laid on the line for achieving major reductions in carbon output in China over the next 5-15 years. Corporations, governments and major institutions are getting behind the idea for a host of reasons, but as this article makes clear, it's also important for common citizens - urban and rural alike - to get on board and see [and demonstrate] the far-reaching benefits of adopting clean, efficient, self-sustaining technology.
