‘Top carbon polluter’

A BBC report by Roger Harrabin on 14th April 2008, states that China is in fact the top carbon polluter in the world. It has been found that China’s emissions have been underestimated, and the carbon entering the atmosphere and adding to the pollution is actually how US levels in 2006-2007 were. This status is also highlighted in an animated map created by the University of Sheffield and used within the report, as the emissions by nation show that China’s size significantly increases, indicating that as a country it allows high levels of carbon emission.

An animated map of the worlds carbon emissions (BBC news, 14th April 2008)

These significantly high levels are adding to the ever increasing air pollution and it has been reported 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. Despite this china is adamant that any negotiated emission reductions should not be absolute, but relative to a ‘business as usual’ scenario of projected growth. Therefore it is become accepted that any future global climate agreement will have to be factored to China’s high future emissions if the Chinese are to be persuaded to take part.

So should China be proud of this status they have in some ways achieved and be allowed to keep it through negotiations within global climate agreements? I personally think no. Why should a country be proud of this status and want to keep it? And why should global climate agreements try to be nice to China so that it joins agreements. Surely China should have realised by now that their environmental problem is currently uncontrollable and is affecting numerous people worldwide so desperate action and collaboration with global climate agreements is a must. Equally I think this all comes back to China’s greed, as officials know that as soon as they sign anything agreeing to cut down on emissions, industries and their economy will most likely suffer.

References

Harrabin. R. 2008 'China now 'top air polluter'' BBC news. 14th April 2008