Here’s a new obstacle that could prevent the world from finally turning the corner on climate change: Imagine that over the coming decade a whole new economy the size of Russia were to pop up out of nowhere. With the world’s fourth-largest electricity sector and largest burden of power plant emissions after China, the U.S., and India, this new economy on its own would be enough to throw out efforts to halt global warming — especially if it keeps on growing through the 2030s. That’s the risk inherent in China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for grid power. From the cracking pace of renewable build-out last year, you might think the country had broken the back of its carbon addiction. A record 55 gigawatts of solar power and 48 gigawatts of wind were connected — comparable to installing the generation capacity of Mexico in less than 12 […]