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Obama Presses China On Global Warming
HughPickens.com writes: The NY Times reports that President Obama spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Summit and challenged China to make the same effort to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions and join a worldwide campaign to curb global warming. Obama's words were directly focused on putting the onus on China, an essential partner of the U.S. if a global climate treaty is to be negotiated by 2015. The U.S. and China bear a "special responsibility to lead," said Obama. "That's what big nations have to do." The U.S., Obama said, would meet a pledge to reduce its carbon emissions by 17 percent, from 2005 levels, by 2020 — a goal that is in large part expected to be met through proposed EPA regulation.
There were indications that China might be ready with its own plan, although many experts say they will be skeptical until Chinese officials reveal the details. A senior Chinese official said his country would try to reach a peak level of carbon emissions "as early as possible." This suggests the Chinese government, struggling with air pollution so extreme that it has threatened economic growth, regularly kept millions of children indoors and ignited street protests, was determined to show faster progress in curbing emissions. In recent years, the Chinese government has sent other signals about addressing carbon pollution, some of them encouraging to environmental experts. "Five years ago, it was almost unimaginable to discuss China putting a cap on carbon, but now that is happening," said Lo Sze Ping, chief executive officer of the World Wildlife Fund's office in Beijing. "Chinese leaders have seen that it is imperative to move toward a low-carbon economy."
There were indications that China might be ready with its own plan, although many experts say they will be skeptical until Chinese officials reveal the details. A senior Chinese official said his country would try to reach a peak level of carbon emissions "as early as possible." This suggests the Chinese government, struggling with air pollution so extreme that it has threatened economic growth, regularly kept millions of children indoors and ignited street protests, was determined to show faster progress in curbing emissions. In recent years, the Chinese government has sent other signals about addressing carbon pollution, some of them encouraging to environmental experts. "Five years ago, it was almost unimaginable to discuss China putting a cap on carbon, but now that is happening," said Lo Sze Ping, chief executive officer of the World Wildlife Fund's office in Beijing. "Chinese leaders have seen that it is imperative to move toward a low-carbon economy."
oh, you mean the one that the US refused to ratify because (according to Bush) "it would harm the economy"?
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
The dirty three (US, Canada and Australia) all produce more than 16 tonnes CO2 per person.
The EU about 6.8
China produces 7.2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scie...
Perhaps the US should demonstrate how big countries lead and actually do something meaningful about its emissions instead of hypocritically lecturing.
None of the figures above actually account for outsourcing manufacturing to China from the US and EU. In that light the Western country's CO2 production is much and China's lower.
China is kicking the worlds ass when it comes to clean air generation progress. The nuclear plants they have under construction will generate more electricity than all of Germany multi-hundred billion euro wind and solar effort and the US's combined. And then.... they plan to build more. Meanwhile, we send them huge sums of money for PV panels that are not even making a blip on the offset chart.
And, they will continue because they don't have to deal with a political element that drives solutions down paths driven by the uninformed.
With Stephen Harper in charge the Canadian government doesn't look much different than the US's these days.
He is as bad as any leader we've ever had when it comes to science in general.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/12...
http://www.academicmatters.ca/...
http://www.climatesciencewatch...
Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
A big picture, fact based view... in case anyone is interested.
http://www.economist.com/news/...