It’s been a long time in coming, but China has overtaken the US as the world’s “biggest polluter” of carbon dioxide.
According to a report to be published next month by a team from the University of California team, China’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.
They warn that unchecked future growth will dwarf any emissions cuts made by rich nations under the Kyoto Protocol. The report warns that unless China radically changes its energy policies, its increases in greenhouse gases will be several times larger than the cuts in emissions being made by rich nations under the Kyoto Protocol.
“Our figures for emissions growth are truly shocking,” said Dr Max Auffhammer, the lead researcher. “But there is no sense pointing a finger at the Chinese. They are trying to pull people out of poverty and they clearly need help. The only solution is for a massive transfer of technology and wealth from the West.”
That’s also what the clean coal people say in Europe, we have to have clean coal technology so we can export it to China…..