CLIMATE: China's environmental record underestimated -- report
By Jeremy Lovell
July 31, 2008
Reuters
China, one of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, is making important environmental progress, an independent climate advisory group reported today.
"Everybody sees China as this monster polluter, but it is doing so much more than that," said Changhua Wu, China director of independent climate change consulting firm The Climate Group, which will release its findings in a report titled "China's Clean Revolution."
"China is already leading in certain types of technologies. In the power sector it is in clean coal, solar, wind. In transport it is developing more efficient compact cars and electric cars," Changhua said.
But China also builds an average of one coal-fired power station per week and its share of greenhouse emissions has climbed from 7 percent of the global share in 2002 to 24 percent today.
U.S. officials say progress in cutting emissions cannot be achieved unless developing countries make cuts, but China says developed nations are principally responsible for atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and should shoulder the burden of reducing climate change and dealing with its effects.
"Developed countries really need to demonstrate their sincerity, demonstrate the feasibility of the solutions, really demonstrate that they are serious about this," said Wu. "Telling developing countries that they must do it when they themselves are not is just not acceptable"
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