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China's energy policies 'do not tackle climate change'


  3. JanforGore
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Is this because there is no incentive for them to do so? Or because they simply do not wish to do so? Surely they must see the devastation climate change is wrecking on their country. Seeing it from just an economic or a political point of view however, will not bring them to the place they must be in order to create policies that truly address this crisis. How long will China be permitted to call itself a "developing" country to get out of having to pledge to specific goals? As much as I do believe the U.S. must lead on setting goals that reduce GHGs, China and India whose economies are growing the fastest will need to also take some responsibility for the pollution they are making as well. But time is running out. So how long do we wait?
JanforGore

2 responses // China's energy policies 'do not tackle climate change'

  • The big problem is that China's government gets absolutely no pressure from the Chinese people to do anything about this. The average Chinese citizen is even LESS concerned with political issues than the average American! And it's not like China is worried about international pressure either. What are we going to do? Go to WAR with them? If we can't even wage a successful military campaign in Afghanistan, we sure as hell don't have a chance against China.

    The only solution is to reach the Chinese people at a grassroots level, increase their awareness of the seriousness of this issue, and get them to demand from their government that bold steps must be taken to reduce greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, they still remember what happened the LAST time they dared to demand anything of their government.
    Kemstone
  • Kemstone: You hit upon a very important point. China is a Communist country where free thought and speaking out against the govt. is punished. In that vein then, the people will never truly have the voice they need to demand environmental change, and the govt doesn't care wha they think. However, it should follow that this crisis extends beyond poltiical distinctions to doing what is right... so you would then think that because the U.S. is supposedly a "Democracy" that would be the case in the U.S. , but it is not. So is it really the form of govt., that is deciding the actions, or is it simply because the govt is apathetic to the people's needs and only looking at its own benefit? Would China somehow magically become the moral environmental leader if it were a Democracy, or does it come down to being a moral person regardless of your political ideology? I would say that the U.S. is proving that even in a "Democracy" the will of the people is not heeded, and the people who themselves do have the ability to speak out do not.
    JanforGore

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