How China beat the US on green energy

President Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris climate agreement for the second time and also announced plans to leave the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In his first year back in office, Trump has rolled back restrictions on oil, gas and coal – and has urged other countries to do the same.

China, meanwhile, has spent the past decade consolidating its expansion into clean energy technologies, even as it remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses.

In today’s episode, BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt explains how the growing energy rivalry between the world's biggest superpowers will shape the future of geopolitics and have profound consequences for the planet’s ability to cut carbon emissions.

Producers: Aron Keller and Hannah Moore

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producers: James Shield and Bridget Harney

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: A wind turbine and solar panels in Yancheng, China. Credit: Alex Plavesvski/ EPA)