China Calls for More U.S. Action on Climate Change
China says the United States needs to make stronger commitments on climate change.
China's top climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, said today that although the Obama administration has improved its commitment on the issue, White House promises of greenhouse gas reductions fall far short of expectations. He's also calling for the U.S. to take the lead on technology transfer and financing to developing nations.
Xie said China hopes the US won't shift the responsibility for taking action to other countries, and said China wants the dialogue to achieve fruitful results in December in Cancun.
At last December's climate summit in Copenhagen, the U.S. pledged to reduce greenhouse gases by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 -- the goal of a measure that passed the House last summer. President Obama has been pushing the Senate to follow suit, but lawmakers there have yet to agree on a bill.
The U.S. also agreed in Copenhagen to pay a "fair share" into a fund to help developing countries deal with climate change. UN officials are still wrangling over how to disburse money from that fund.
China, the world's largest emitter of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, has said it will cut its "carbon intensity" -- or ratio of CO2 emissions to gross domestic product -- by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels.
Those commitments are part of a voluntary deal brokered among the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, India and China at the end of the contentious two-week Copenhagen summit.
The latest Chinese comments followed word that China and India have formally endorsed the Copenhagen Accord -- the last two major emitters to do so.
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Related Keywords: Politics, International (Politics), Environment, Clean Skies News, Clean Skies News, COPENHAGEN COVERAGE, UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE COPENHAGEN, carbon intensity, China, Climate Change, Copenhagen Accord, greenhouse gas reductions, President Obama, United States
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China CO2 Emissions – What
China CO2 Emissions – What does Carbon Intensity Really Mean?
The developing industrial nations of Asia (China and India) have not thus far agreed to reduce carbon emissions but only to reduce "carbon intensity". Carbon Intensity is a measure of the growth of emissions as a function of the growth of the economy as measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
China's GDP has most recently averaged 10% growth per year, The Chinese propose to reduce their "carbon intensity" or their carbon emission growth per GDP by 4% per year, If their GDP grows at 10% per year then their net CO2 emissions growth will be 6% per year.
Future carbon emissions will not come primarily from the currently industrialized world, but from the emerging economies, especially China. Future Green House Gas emissions from the developing economies in Asia will totally swamp reductions achieved at significant economic sacrifice in the West. In recent Copenhagen climate debates, China, which currently emits 30% more CO2 per year than the U.S., has not promised to cut actual emissions.
Costly 80% cuts in U.S. emissions will produce only a tiny benefit. The bulk of our effort is best directed at helping the emerging economies conserve energy and move rapidly toward efficient solar, wind and nuclear power. Developing cheap carbon capture and sequestration is also a priority. Above all, we need to recognize that make-the-West-bear-the-burden Copenhagen proposals are meaningless and completely ineffective.
Professor Richard Muller of UC Berkeley has prepared an important analysis that should be brought to the awareness of all. Information regarding how crucial the new developing economies in Asia are to averting climate catastrophe has been compiled into an article by Professor Muller which can be found at:
http://www.mullerandassociates.com/nakedcopenhagendetail.php