View Full Version : China surpasses US as top carbon polluter: study
Sporkman
April 15th, 2008, 10:12 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080415/sc_afp/uschinaclimatewarming_080415203600
China surpasses US as top carbon polluter: study
33 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - China has already surpassed the United States as the world's largest carbon polluter, the authors of a California study said Tuesday.
"Our best forecast has Chinas CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions correctly surpassing the United States in 2006 rather than 2020 as previously anticipated," said the study by researchers at the University of California.
The report, written by economic professors Maximilian Aufhammer of UC Berkeley and Richard Carson of UC San Diego, is to be published next month in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.
Researchers compiled information about the use of fossil fuels in various Chinese provinces and forecast an 11 percent annual growth of carbon emissions from 2004 to 2010.
Previous estimates had set the growth rate at 2.5 to five percent.
The spike in air pollution by China has largely cancelled out efforts by other countries' attempts to reduce greenhouse greenhouse gas emmissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, the authors said.
Tundro Walker
April 16th, 2008, 01:57 AM
China has like twice the population of the U.S., and they're just now surpassing us in carbon output?
Not sure if I should be impressed or dumb-founded.
Bölvağur
April 16th, 2008, 03:16 AM
1.300.000.000 > 300.000.000
elmer_42
April 16th, 2008, 04:07 AM
1.300.000.000 > 300.000.000
The math can not and does not lie.
Flying caveman
April 16th, 2008, 04:32 AM
Its surprising they haven't passed us long ago, after all, most of the stuff we buy is made there.
swoll1980
April 16th, 2008, 04:36 AM
yet the united states spends 99% more money then them funding the research for a solution
original_jamingrit
April 16th, 2008, 05:21 AM
yet the united states spends 99% more money then them funding the research for a solution
lol, isn't the US in debt to the chinese as well?
Tundro Walker
April 16th, 2008, 03:56 PM
yet the united states spends 99% more money then them funding the research for a solution
... and failing miserably.
It's one of those "round up the posse and let's run around in circles" things. They spend all this time and money on a flurry of activity, and very little comes of it. Heck, they were taking forever just getting the New Mexico WHIP site open for business, because once the facility was built and ready, folks in New Mexico THEN wanted to start complaining about it. Oh, no, it was great when all the taxpayer money was rolling in for the development, the jobs, etc. But once it's ready to go, and the New Mexican's have to uphold their part of the bargain by letting hazerdous waste roll into their state for recylcing and disposal in a safe, effective facility ... oh, we can't have that! 9 times out of 10, the "hazerdous waste" being circulated around is nothing more than rags they used to wipe down rifles. Granted, there are real hazardous waste & cleanup issues, but folks want to spend all the time and money complaining about it instead of taking responsibility and dealing with it. Nobody wants it in their backyard, but it has to go somewhere.
In case your wondering, my father used to work for the Department of Energy in the Waste Minimization department (before the DoE was disbanded a while back). It's insane the red tape you have to go through to get things done sometimes. And that's called "progress".
funrider
April 16th, 2008, 04:43 PM
yet the united states spends 99% more money then them funding the research for a solution
any links to back it up?
blueturtl
April 16th, 2008, 04:59 PM
Wasn't the past winter the coldest in decades in many places? :confused:
edit. Apparently not decades
Blue Heron
April 16th, 2008, 05:47 PM
yeah let's burn the carbon !!!
JohnSearle
April 16th, 2008, 06:30 PM
I wonder if this study takes into account all the goods that the Americans import from China. Each product has a carbon footprint, and that's where the majority of carbon emissions come from. America is still the number one consumer in the world...
I wouldn't doubt that this study is reflecting a slight reduction of real American emissions, an increase in Chinese consumption, and a continued growth in the outsource of American production.
EDIT: I should also state that America would not be the only Western country to continue this trend of outsourcing to places that have low wages (obviously), so it's more of a Western issue.
- John
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