For years now, the basis of the U.S.-China relationship has been an uneasy combination of overconsumption and military rivalry. Now, as both threaten to spiral out of control, our planet is paying the price.
Inflation and tariffs are driving up the cost of goods, our leaders are preparing to go to war, and the climate crisis is intensifying. These compounding crises demand that we examine the deeper connections between our consumption habits, international relations, and climate change.
It’s a good time for us to slow down and reflect on what we really need — both as individuals and as nations.
Having the two largest militaries and consumer economies — both of which are environmentally destructive — the U.S. and China bear much of the responsibilities for the climate crisis. In order to preserve a livable planet for future generations, the U.S. and China must reorient their relationship away from military confrontation and unsustainable consumerism towards climate cooperation — beginning with slowing down our overconsumption.
The Rise and Fall of “Chimerica”
Take the clothing industry alone.
Every year since 2014, 100 billion garments of clothing are made — enough for each person in the world to get 12.5 pieces annually. Yet 85 percent of these clothes end up in landfills, wasting enormous amounts of resources and polluting the earth. Fashion seasons grow shorter while social media amplifies microtrends, creating a cycle of constant consumption and waste.
After World War II, material possessions and consumerism became the epitome of the American Dream. As China developed its economy, it found a role in fulfilling Americans’ growing consumer appetite. In the 1990s, despite concerns over China’s human rights violations and American domestic manufacturing jobs, the U.S. renewed China’s “most-favored-nation” trade status year after year after intensive lobbying by big business and the Chinese government.
This marked the beginning of what analysts call “Chimerica” — a symbiotic relationship where China produced and Americans consumed. For over two decades, both countries prioritized economic growth and cheap consumption while disregarding labor and human rights violations, environmental damage, and the integrity of quality and design.
U.S. politicians were happy to make moral compromises to fuel the economy — until the very relationship that served these interests began to threaten them. By the 2010s, China’s economy had grown powerful enough to challenge American global dominance. Its clothing manufacturing industry became the largest in the world, and its tech industry became increasingly competitive.
The Ecological Cost of Conflict
U.S. leaders began viewing China’s economic rise as a threat to America’s global influence.
The Obama administration’s “Pivot to Asia” policy marked a turning point. A bipartisan consensus emerged portraying China as America’s primary enemy. The U.S. responded by increasing its military presence in Asia and the Pacific and strengthening alliances with Asian countries that also felt threatened by China. China, perceiving this military buildup as hostile, expanded its own military capabilities in response.
Today, China and the U.S. are openly preparing for war with each other — and damaging the environment in the process.
To cite just one example, the U.S. conducts the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) — the largest military exercise in the world — around Hawaii and San Diego every two years, targeting China. The latest RIMPAC involved 29 countries and produced as much CO2 in one month as the Washington, DC area does in an entire year. Meanwhile, China has militarized coral reefs throughout the South China Sea, destroying existing ecosystems and building 3,200 acres of artificial islands.
The original U.S.-China economic relationship already drove significant climate damage through overconsumption and wasteful production. Now, the military tension arising from that relationship threatens even greater environmental destruction — not to mention the human cost of potential warfare.
We Don’t Have to Wait for Politicians
But we should not resign ourselves to gloom.
Despite official rhetoric portraying China as an enemy, Americans increasingly have more favorable views of China. American youth, in particular, are opposed to great power competitions and instead overwhelmingly support U.S.-China climate cooperation, which is crucial given China’s dominance in green energy technology that we urgently need.
This disconnect between official policy and public sentiment creates space for alternative approaches. Rather than feeling helpless, we can focus on state-level initiatives like the California- China climate partnership. We can advocate for other states to implement similar cooperation programs and support people-to-people engagement that fosters understanding and dialogue.
Our personal consumption choices also matter. For too long, I accepted the defeatist message that “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism,” which excuses the mindless consumption we take part in by default. However, I realized that I do have agency after I learned more about thrifting and underconsumption movements. This inspired me to co-found and run a thrift store on my college campus, Touchdown Thrift.
In reducing my college’s waste and providing students with cheaper, more sustainable dorm essentials and clothing, I found community and aligned my consumption habits with my environmental values. I was able to shift my mindset away from one that receives satisfaction from material goods, making my life more fulfilling. And as my fashion sense becomes less tied to the latest trend, my style has become more tailored and personal.
More importantly, this shift has made me feel more empowered to build a more sustainable future rather than waiting for politicians to act.
Living By Our Values
While we must continue to advocate for systemic climate action, we can not ignore the significance of our individual choices. The “system” we often blame for the climate crisis ultimately responds to consumer demand — our demand.
As individuals, we have both the agency and responsibility to live by our values and begin building the world we want to see. By changing our relationship with material goods, we can help reorient our national priorities away from wasteful consumption and protectionist militarism towards sustainability and peaceful climate cooperation.
The future of U.S.-China relations — and global climate action — may well depend on our willingness to question not just what our governments do, but what we ourselves truly need.