China to pass US as top greenhouse gas source this year
China will pass the United States as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world earlier than had been initially anticipated. Earlier forecasts predicted that this wouldn't happen until the year 2010, but China's rapid economic growth has had a direct effect on its emissions, as the country is burning coal at a prodigious rate. According to an International Energy Agency representative, the state of affairs is such that China's emissions levels are high enough that they'll likely counteract attempts by some other countries to reduce their own.
The hypocrisy of China's unenviable position is made even more clear when you recall that the country signed the Kyoto Protocol. Its standing as a Kyoto signatory affords it a sort of moral high ground (or at least the illusion of such), while it freely ignores those very terms in the name of its own economy, saying that to be held to the standards it saw fit to support would be "unfair."This is also called, "having your cake and eating it." Let's keep in mind that China's a nuclear power capable of developing (and showcasing, when it suits it) very modern cities like Shanghai. One could therefore surmise that the country has the technological means to make the advancements necessary to combat its rampant pollution. The more valid question is: Does it really have any desire to do so at all?
[Source: AP via Instapundit]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kardax 2:10PM (4/25/2007)
China takes so much pride in the strength of their economy that they won't do anything until their economy is threatened.
Some there may go as far as seeing the smog as a sign of their industry hard at work.
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Chris M 7:20PM (4/25/2007)
As a communist government, Red China is not accountable to its own people, its only real concern is the wealth and well being of the party bosses. Thus, it will only start doing something about pollution when said pollution starts threatening the very health of the party leaders.
Even then, the "cleanup" efforts would only involve Bejing and other cities where the party bosses live.
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Ralph 12:51AM (4/26/2007)
Should it surprise anyone that China will continue polluting as long as they think it is justified to keep their economy expanding as quickly as possible? Industrial societies had done this for decades until their economies matured and inevitably slowed down or stagnated. Only relatively recently have many societies understood the benefits of efficiency, alternative fuels, etc., especially so when energy costs hit their citizens hard in the pocket book. China has loads of its own cheap coal for the taking and of course they are going to use as much as they deem necessary. The test for their leaders is whether they care enough about their own people and country to require that coal plants clean up the smoke they emit. Unfortunately, communist countries have a very poor track record in this respect.
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Mack 2:41AM (4/27/2007)
Remember WTO and the riots? Well the rich have gotten richer.
Money makes people do funny things, much like a drug. We should find a cure. :->
China is not at fault. It is the money hungry companies that exploited the cheap labor and lack of enviromental standards all for the sake of growth.
I think the Chinese people care about what is happening, the goverment most likely doesn't give a darn. The people of China just can't do a whole lot about it with out putting there lifes in grave danger.
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Mack 1:48AM (4/26/2007)
Remember WTO and the riots? Well the rich have gotten richer.Money
makes people do funny things, much like a drug. We should find a
cure. :->China is not at fault. It is the money hungry companies that
exploited the cheap labor and lack of enviromental standards all for
the sake of growth.I think the Chinese people care about what is
happening, the goverment most likely doesn't give a darn. The people
of China just can't do a whole lot about it with out putting there
lifes in grave danger.
We as a consumer can do a great deal. Its called not buying Chinese goods. Its that simple.
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Nils 5:50AM (4/26/2007)
I have to agree with Mack, if anyone bears some responsibility in this case it's companies with Wal-mart-like trading policies. And so ultimately it's the consumer's fault who always wants more and cheaper stuff. If the US didn't buy as much of their goods overseas, pollution wouldn't be so dramatic in China.
It makes me think of something that happened in France last year: for the very first time in history they had a drop in energy consumption. It was caused by the relocation of industries to Eastern countries and China... well that's one way of meeting the Kyoto-target...
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Icon149 5:24PM (5/02/2007)
Nils hit the nail on the head. we have such a push in western countries to clean up and be Green, that we push regulation and cleanup efforts on industry. this extra cost just pushes heavy industry to poor countries where the environmental policies are lax. So companies and idustries that where running efficiently on cleaner electricity (nuclear, hydro, oil) are now operating as cheaply as possible (read no attmepts at cleaning up wastes) in countries like china, then shipping it back accross the ocean and polluting even more! Not in my back yard attitude will not make the world greener... just your back yard. China is poisioning the rivers and farmlands not to mention the people. while we americans and europeans rejoice in our carbon neutral life styles... Sad...
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