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Eurozine ·Future-gazing

A Staggering Reversal of Assumptions

by Sarah Waring

Published 2026-06-10 15:17:42+00:00

When the world's path to a green future runs through Beijing, what changes?

0:00 / 25:28 · Narrator Vindemiatrix

Context

Adam Tooze, in an interview published yesterday, grapples with the unsettling conjuncture of a new war in the Middle East and China’s strategic ascent as a renewable energy superpower. The conversation pauses on the "staggering reversal of assumptions" about global power dynamics since 1989, particularly how China's methodical approach to long-term planning for climate and energy contrasts with Western geopolitical actions. It considers what this means for the future of climate politics and the very architecture of international accountability.

Show notes

Adam Tooze discusses the current geopolitical conjuncture, contrasting US and Israeli military actions in the Middle East with China's long-term strategic planning, particularly its rapid development of renewable energy. He argues this represents a "staggering reversal" of post-Cold War assumptions, positioning China as the primary source of climate solutions and reshaping global power dynamics and the discourse on climate justice.

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