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China's slow but considered approach to climate change
Dane Pflueger | Monday 24th August 2009
 Developing countries often get a lot of slack for not setting or evenseriously considering carbon emission targets. Observers in the rich countries see the lack of targets as indications of no progress, no real consideration, and no willingness to engage. We often gloat in our 2050 carbon targets and carbon budgets, suggesting that those pesky developing countries are holding everyone back. Sometimes this is a legitimate point. Having clear goals is a requisite for concerted action. And when countries such as India suggest that they will never set a goal lower than peak US emissions per capita, one must wonder if they are serious at all about stopping climate change. But recent movements in China, now being criticized for lacking targets, appear to be setting a very strong foundation for domestic action and leadership at Copenhagen. These are things that no rich country can claim to have. China is slowly but surely building social and political consensus around why climate change occurs and what the consequences will be, thereby building a strong base for action. Its official newspaper reports government officials outlining that "The large amount of greenhouse gases emitted through human activities is the main reason for global warming leading to extreme weather events." And recent reports (again government-sponsored) outline not just the consequences of weather events, but also agricultural damage, public health costs, water shortages, military security, and human displacement. This evidence is not overlooked by the government either. An observer from Ecofys explains that the government is signaling its "internalis[ation] of climate change into its economic development." There are absolutely no targets, but there are clear signs that the government recognizes the consequences of continued high-carbon industrialization. So for them, climate action is seen as necessary for economic success. In the US and the UK, the governments are keen to set long-term and ambitious targets, but certainly don't see it as an economic imperative. Climate change is an abstract topic that competes with all the more pressing concerns like healthcare and short-term economic growth (the butchering of US climate legislation makes this clear). When world leaders sit down at Copenhagen this winter, China might be in a very good position to discuss the problem intellectually and constructively. Rich target-oriented countries might still be in the clouds. |
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Other Climate Change Articles |
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Gavin Boyd 12 November 2009 Most people think it is up to the governments to stop the progress of climate change. In one hand they are correct but on the other hand it is up to themselves to help the planet and our civilization. If we don't do it singly then we will fail our future children and grandchildren who will have the unknown forced upon them. Governments and energy companies have started the ball rolling. We are seeing a large increase in renewable energy sources here in the UK. My local energy supplier "Welsh Gas " has been taken over by a larger firm SSE who specialize in creating hydro electricity. If we all work as one we will be able to make a difference. The question is how much of a difference can we make.
Links: ------ http://jm.ly/Cucjj0 |
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Dane Pflueger 25 August 2009 Yeah unfortunately all the links in the post got lost somewhere along the way, but it is an important stereotype to overcome. My Fox News-watching grandmother really got me riled up on this.
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Kevin Long 25 August 2009 nicely done dane
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Dane Pflueger 24 August 2009 more on this here http://jm.ly/1gNvn6
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