"If the world's biggest polluter doesn't radically reduce the amount of coal it burns, nothing anyone does to stabilize the climate will matter." Already at the opening sentence is one of the stupidest statements I've read in a long time. One billion people live in the developed world now, and the developed countries are polluting way more per capita then China currently does. The article seems to make the point of: 'oh it doesn't matter if we do something, China is destroying this planet anyways'. In reality, the developed countries have the capital to go fully sustainable and to develop affordable sustainable or energy saving technologies which the entire world can use. (In fact, solar panels have already become a lot cheaper recently, also thanks to Chinese factories) And of course, China is still the worlds factory, so it's like pointing to your own stove and complaining that it emits greenhouse gases. "The view among a number of prominent climate scientists is that if China's emissions peak around 2025, we may – just barely – have a shot at stabilizing the climate before all hell breaks loose."
Again, it's all China's fault apparently, but in reality it's also our fault for going sustainable in a snails pace.
Absolutely true. The US largely exported its pollution. If the US made EPA standards requisite for the production of all imported products, things would be quite different. One way the US could help, is by gradually implementing such requirements.And of course, China is still the worlds factory, so it's like pointing to your own stove and complaining that it emits greenhouse gases.
With over a billion peple, China itself is basically a continent. They are trying to catch up with the west. Most of the initial pollution came while the west was growing. It would be difficult for the west to convince China to slow down their catch up game now that the yanks and allies now realize that Oh, we must DO SOMETHING about global warming! Good luck to our dear planet!