The Copenhagen climate talks continue, while everyone waits for world leaders, including President Obama, to arrive on Friday. The last week at the COP 15 has not marked much progress in extending or modifying the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the UN leadership is even having trouble keeping everyone in the boat. African nations staged a brief walkout yesterday after demonstrations on Sunday complaining that the developed nations won't pay enough for them to get compliant with the Protocol. China is playing the role of Joe Lieberman, sticking to their demand to increase their own pollution, stridently resisting any measures to monitor their emissions, wrecking any chance for meaningful reductions. Decisive action, like health care reform, is likely now impossible to achieve. China, like Lieberman, is playing self-serving deal wrecker.
The New York Times has a great interactive graphic that illustrates the size of the GHG problem, the biggest polluters, and various proposals before the conference. The graphics make the size of the gap between proposals crystal clear. As I've talked about before, the US has proposed a reduction of 17% of GHGs by 2020. Here's what that looks like measured in billions of metric tons:
By contrast, the Chinese have proposed a 40-45% reduction by units of production, which essentially lets them grow GHG emissions by a surprising amount. Here's what that looks like:
And hence the problem. China is putting it's economic growth ahead of the rest of the world, even though it is now the second largest economy and the largest creditor nation. It has been buying oil and gas reserves all over the world, is now one of the largest owners of Canadian oil sands (how does that make you feel?), and continues to overtake the US in almost every measure, including pollution. They now threaten to Lieberman the Copenhagen talks and thwart chances for decisive action.
We'll be following the final days of COP 15 and reporting results, if any.
The New York Times has a great interactive graphic that illustrates the size of the GHG problem, the biggest polluters, and various proposals before the conference. The graphics make the size of the gap between proposals crystal clear. As I've talked about before, the US has proposed a reduction of 17% of GHGs by 2020. Here's what that looks like measured in billions of metric tons:
By contrast, the Chinese have proposed a 40-45% reduction by units of production, which essentially lets them grow GHG emissions by a surprising amount. Here's what that looks like:And hence the problem. China is putting it's economic growth ahead of the rest of the world, even though it is now the second largest economy and the largest creditor nation. It has been buying oil and gas reserves all over the world, is now one of the largest owners of Canadian oil sands (how does that make you feel?), and continues to overtake the US in almost every measure, including pollution. They now threaten to Lieberman the Copenhagen talks and thwart chances for decisive action.We'll be following the final days of COP 15 and reporting results, if any.
From now on......Sen. Joe Lieberman, A-CT
Whadya think????
OTOH...the Chinese are good to have on YOUR side in a war. They would NEVER run out of soldiers.
Carguy is correct. China is all about China only and there is no changing it. Like the Republicans. They don't give a squat about anyone else or even their own future beyond five years. They've bought into the mantra greed is good. Quite the irony for a Communist country. And I speak from experience quite longer and broader than Carguy's.
With China emerging as one of the largest owners of the Canadian oil sands the writing is on the wall. If we do not curve our addiction to oil our economy will be at the mercy of the oil producing nations.
We need a national energy policy that emphasises Nuclear power for electricity production and a conversion to Natural gas to power our autos. ASAP!
China already owns much of our national debt and as their economy grows in the years to come they will be competing with us for a finite amount of oil.
Like we ain't got enough problems already. I work for Chinese bosses. Trust me, negotiating with them is unlikely. These guys are not team players....AT ALL.
Egad. China is one of the largest owners of Canadian oil sands??