And the fact that the west doesn't see this as a collective endeavour that all humanity has to come together to accomplish shows that western civilization is a blight upon the world.

I mean the whole world order the west built upon subjugation and extraction. Everything is seen as a zero sum game here, and there's no concept of doing things collectively or finding positive sum solutions where everyone can benefit. That's the fundamental difference from Chinese mindset, China doesn't think that somebody has to lose for them to win. They don't try to subjugate the rest of the world and remake it in their image. They just find ways to cooperate with other nations that are mutually beneficial. That's how a rational society works.

When I say western civilization, I'm referring to the social structures and the system as a whole rather than individuals. Of course there are plenty of people in the west who are starting to reject the system, but the west as a whole remains the same as it was institutionally. It's extractive economic policy remains the same, and hence, as a whole it acts as a regressive force upon humanity.

And sure, China, like any human society has plenty of problems, but the difference is the overall trajectory and the social structure in China which makes it a progressive force.

That's not the main reason western economies are extractive. It's the very nature of how financial capitalism works that makes them so. https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2021/08/the-value-of-nothing-capital-versus-growth/

Right, but trade doesn't need to be extractive is my point. China also needs resources, but they didn't build a system of exploitation to get them. It is possible to work with other countries without having to dominate and subjugate them so that everyone benefits.

Oh I agree, we have to move away from consumerism and growth mentality given that we live in a closed system.

And this all goes back to the western civilization being the problem. Its capitalist model rooted in consumerism has become the model for the whole world to emulate. And the US in particular has spent billions on building a cultural hegemony with its media glorifying American style of living. So, is it any surprise that this has become the aspirational lifestyle the rest of the world looks up to.

Had USSR prevailed, we might've had an alternative model to follow that's not based on mindless consumption. But the west was hell bent on defeating USSR precisely because of the threat of an alternative. Soviets wanted to have peaceful coexistence but the west simply could not countenance that.

But there are some hopeful signs coming out of China now, for example replacing ads on billboards with pictures of scientists and descriptions of their accomplishment is a good step. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202609/1369560.shtml

But if we do it and survive some nations will come out on top. So there can be a winning.

I would see it like everyone is winning because we managed to deal with it but some will be the new superpowers because they have the technological know how. Similar to how the Allied Forces won WWII but USA still came out on top of all the winners (because they developed nukes and didn't had the war on their soil).

It's not how I look at things. It's how it will be. It's a positive thing for me. Because it can be a strong motivator.

First we have to understand and agree that we have to work together. Otherwise we don't have any chance anyways.

But even then it still is a huge effort, so the motivation to "win" the energy transition race (meaning being the best and first to reach certain milestones) might be needed to make it happen in time.

I grew up in USSR, and I can definitively tell you that life wasn't based around consumption. There is a huge difference between having a decent standard of living, and having a consumerist society. Living on earth sustainably doesn't mean we all have to revert back to primitivism.