16. Development of renewable energies in Asia and Europe

To reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, Asia and Europe have embarked on the development of renewable energies, both wind and solar. For Europe, the main aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while in Asia, the priority is to reduce particulate pollution linked to the massive use of coal. The European Union and China are now the world's largest producers of renewable energies (wind and solar), just ahead of the United States. It's also worth noting that China's hydroelectric power production is considerable, representing around twice France's total electricity output. In China, hydropower is the second largest source of electricity (after coal). Nuclear power, wind power and solar power are all playing a growing, albeit limited, role, given the scale of the country's electricity needs. China's population is 20 times that of France, and electricity consumption could reach 20 times...