This is obviously a bad outcome for climate, especially given Japan's status as an advanced economy.

But from my perspective, the developed world asking India/China to not use coal seems hypocritical, along with a healthy dose of colonial paternalism. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/climate/japan-coal-fukushima.html

This isn't just about coal or Republicans. The entire debate during D-primary on global climate action was hard to watch.

It was either
a) world being forced to buy US' green goods
b) BCAs to punish high-emitting developing countries.

This is *literally* the colonial playbook.

I realize many will disagree with me on this.

Asking the developing world to abandon coal just when it's convenient for the US/EU is hypocritical.

- Would US make this argument if not for shale?
- Would US agree if India/South Africa lobbied for a gas ban?

And people are not stupid - the top 10 countries with the highest trust in climate science are all developing countries. Treating them like they don't know coal is harmful is paternalism at its worst.

US/Japan/UK/Germany/Canada are all in the bottom 10. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/climate-science-global-warming-most-sceptics-country/

Forcing a timeline on energy transition that closely aligns with the whims of political economy in the West through institutions that, to this day, very much embody the spirit of imperialism like the WTO or World Bank or IMF is not how we're going to solve #ClimateChange.

So, no.

Border carbon adjustments, moratoriums on coal financing by global institutions, or forcing imports of green products are not solutions. They are tools for sophisticated bullying.

This is why we need not just more, but better conversations on tackling #ClimateChange in the Global South. We must examine long-standing assumptions about approaches to global cooperation.

And amidst all this, we also need real solutions to reduce emissions in developing world.

This is also why I love the Paris Agreement despite its flaws because it finally gave real agency to developing countries to decide their own fate. It made them real partners as opposed to being mere observers. And that is how we solve this crisis. http://www.africanreview.com/finance/economy/african-leaders-endorse-plan-to-build-climate-resilience-into-recovery-from-covid-19