Understanding Begins With the Ability to Ask Questions

Global challenges can only be solved through global dialogues.

Eight countries were chosen to be represented by the eight international teams in the Power for a Better Future in the Buddies Without Borders Online Forum: India, Brazil, Singapore, the USA, Australia, China, Nigeria, and the UK. Last week, students examined the strengths of their designated country and challenged each other's analyses. One of the top research essays was authored by Mahsa Raeissi, representing China. See the dialogues that followed:

Mahsa Raeissi Goudoei and her teammates: Carolina Queiroz Damo (Brazil/USA), Roxana Victoria Sacasari Ortega (Ecuador), Vedant Nukalapati (USA)

"China’s economy is now literally powered by green tech exports, but is it a real climate win if the rest of the world starts blocking them?

As of early 2026, the New Three industries: EVs, batteries, and solar make up 10% of China’s entire GDP (East Asia Forum, 2026), but they are hitting a massive wall because other countries are worried about their own industries surviving. The scale is kind of hard to believe. China now owns over 80% of the global solar supply chain and makes 70% of the world’s electric vehicles (TIME, 2026). According to Carbon Brief (2026), without these clean energy sectors, China’s GDP growth last year would have been 3.5% instead of 5.0%.

However, there’s a major problem. Because China is producing way more than it can actually use, it’s flooding the global market with cheap tech. An opposing view from the LA Times (2025) warns that this flood is triggering a massive backlash, with the US and EU putting 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect their own jobs. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (2025) even points out that if these green goods are blocked, China will have a massive overcapacity problem that could actually slow down the global transition because the cheapest tech isn't being used where it's needed most. To handle this, China’s new 15th Five-Year Plan is shifting focus from just exporting to building Zero-Carbon Industrial Parks at home to prove the tech works (ESG News, 2026).

If the world keeps raising taxes on China's cheap green tech to protect local jobs, are we actually slowing down the fight against climate change just to win a trade war?" ~ Mahsa Raeissi (Towheed International School, UAE)

Veronika Strečková and her teammates: Karthik Anumolu (India), Anna Werntges (Germany), Ami Mizuno (Japan)

"This tension highlights a key climate policy dilemma: should international climate strategies prioritize open access to the cheapest and most abundant clean technologies to accelerate decarbonization globally, even if that undercuts local industry growth? Or should they pursue protectionist approaches to build domestic capacity, even if that means potentially slower global emissions reductions?" Veronika Strečková (American International School in Cyprus)

"Continued coal reliance could create economic and political pressure, potentially locking China into carbon-intensive infrastructure just as the rest of the world accelerates toward cleaner systems. So if the grid, storage, and market reforms succeed by 2030, will China choose to phase out coal, or will the safety net it built become too comfortable to remove?" Ami Mizuno (Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen Junior & Senior High School, Japan)

Gabby Louise Wieczorek and her teammates: Abena Oforiwaa Okoampah (Ghana), Defne Su Kurt (Türkiye), Nina de Barros Barreto Pedalino Costa (France/Brazil),

"China is a major contributor to coal pollution due to its significant reliance upon coal, so without a rapid decline in its use, China may not be able to improve (China). Citizens also suffer from extreme labor and exploitation, with a need for action from the government...with all of these challenges and strengths that China is producing in an attempt to limit climate change, will its efforts get the job done, or will other problems rise, leading them to forget about its progress?" Gabby Louise Wieczorek (The Walker School, USA)

Yuzuki Nagira and her teammates: Alessandro Siano (Poland/Italy/Belgium/France), Martina Castro Moreno (Spain), Sanad Treish (USA/Jordan)

"Ultimately, the immediate effects of shunning Chinese low-cost technology is a slower, more costly response to an accelerating crisis. The question towards this situation is: Can achieving the Paris Goals become a reality with only local supply chains?" Yuzuki Nagira (Shonan-Shirayuri Gakuen High School, Japan)

What do you think? Join the global dialogue to understand each other's perspectives, so that the world can move forward in harmony!

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