We’re Getting Outplayed—and It’s Showing Up in Our Concrete

I’ve never been a flag-waving cheerleader for American imperialism. In fact, I used to be pretty disgusted with how we tried to run the world. But lately, I’ve changed my mind—not because we got better, but because I finally got a good look at what the alternative is.

I’d rather deal with our mess than live in a world where China’s calling the shots.

And here’s the kicker: they already are.

Senator Ted Cruz—who I don’t often find myself agreeing with—said it plainly: China is beating us in a “smokeless war.” They’ve figured out how to neuter the U.S. without firing a single shot. Not with tanks, not with missiles—but with quiet, calculated pressure. By flooding supply chains, buying influence, and watching us sabotage our own foundation while they build theirs with coal-fired certainty.

You can see this in concrete.

While we chase net-zero fantasies and dilute our materials in the name of climate salvation, China is doubling down on coal. According to Doomberg’s recent deep dive, global coal use hit a record 8.5 billion metric tons in 2023, with China alone up 5% on last year, fueling that surge. Even more revealing, China consumed nearly 92.2 exajoules of energy by 2024—56% of global coal output.

They’re not slowing down. A Global Energy Monitor report shows China approved almost 66.7 GW of new coal plant capacity in 2024, and began construction on a jaw-dropping 94.5 GW—the most since 2015. And from Bloomberg’s coal tracker: China started 93% of all new global coal buildouts last year.

What do more gigawatts equal? More steel, more cement, more concrete—and more influence.

Meanwhile, we peddle intermittent energy and watered-down concrete. This whole “intermittent energy powers our lives” narrative is flimsy. Resilience demands power on tap, at scale. It’s not just electricity—it’s materials: cement, steel, glass, asphalt. None of it without heat and horsepower.

Using more energy is not a bug—it’s a feature. It’s how you build a last-longing civilization. Instead, we substitute proven materials with “green” stand-ins that crumble faster, cost more, and won’t handle a Category 5 storm—or the next wave of data centers.

We are literally watering down our concrete to feel virtuous.

China is building theirs to last centuries.

And we’re writing grants to feel good.