China surpasses US pollution, still exempt from Kyoto

[ECSNorway]

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SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China will pass the United States as the world's biggest source of greenhouse gasses this year, an official with the International Energy Agency was quoted as saying.
China had been forecast to surpass the U.S. in 2010, but its sizzling economic growth has pushed the date forward, the IEA's chief economist, Fatih Birol, was quoted as saying in an interview appearing in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal newspaper.
"In the past couple of months, economic growth and related coal consumption has grown at such an unexpected rate," Birol was quoted as saying. China's rising emissions will effectively cancel out attempts by other countries to reduce their own, he said.
Those comments follow the weekend release of a Chinese government report detailing the costs of climate change but asserting that the country should focus on development before cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Higher than average temperatures meant spreading deserts, worsening droughts, shrinking glaciers and increased spread of diseases, said the report, compiled by more than a dozen government bodies. It said emission limits were unfair and would constrain China's current energy and manufacturing industries.
China is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gasses, but is exempt from its restrictions because it is a developing country.

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--
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[rmthorn]

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China is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gasses, but is exempt from its restrictions because it is a developing country.

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Yep, it sucks.
I still don't think that it excuses countries like the US and Australia from doing their bit to reduce greenhouse emissions though.

[ECSNorway]

Note that China's population = ~ 6 times that of the USA.
Once China reaches US-level industrialization - if that is your criteria for it no longer being a developing country - it will be putting out six times as much pollution.
Greens, if you ever want me to believe you are anything more than watermelons, NOW is the time to go after Beijing, not just Washington. --
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Epsilon]

Compared to the fact that China alone accounted for over 3400 executions in 2004 alone, more than five times that of every other country on Earth combined, I think we have more things to worry about in terms of China than just greenhouse gases.
Yes, China is full of assholes. Yes, the global community is doing a very poor job of controlling it (this would be because the US owes more money to China than it would like to admit). Yes, they are destroying the environment, not just of their own country but off the world.
But the proper answer to "They're polluting more than us" is not "Let's pollute more to, we have to stay competitive" its "stop fucking coddling China you assholes".
But until people are willing to pay $2-$4 more for everything (and sometimes as much as $50 more for electronics) China will continue to be what it is.
So yes, we should be doing something about China. I hope they stop kowtowing to it.
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Epsilon

[ECSNorway]

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But the proper answer to "They're polluting more than us" is not "Let's pollute more to, we have to stay competitive" its "stop fucking coddling China you assholes".

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Oh, I agree, and I never said otherwise -- if you read that into what I've been saying, you're looking for what isn't there.

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But the proper answer to "They're polluting more than us" is not "Let's pollute more to, we have to stay competitive" its "stop fucking coddling China you assholes".
But until people are willing to pay $2-$4 more for everything (and sometimes as much as $50 more for electronics) China will continue to be what it is.

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Indeed.
The biggest irony of it all?
It finally gives liberals a worthwhile justification for detesting Wal*Mart. --
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Valles]

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It finally gives liberals a worthwhile justification for detesting Wal*Mart.

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I've always found their treatment of their employees more than adequate, actually... but more ammunition is always good.
Ja, -n

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"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."