Andrei.Hicks wrote on Feb 3
rd, 2013 at 2:43pm:
rabbitoh07 wrote on Feb 3
rd, 2013 at 2:25pm:
see how absurd you trying to categorise a global problem by arbitrary national boundaries is?
Well the current protocols split it out by national boundaries.
In the United States we have a target - which is punishingly higher than China or India.
The point is still valid - China pollutes 1/3rd of the world's emissions.
They have accelerated absurdly since 1990.
They are building more dirty coal power stations than the rest of the world added together.
They have admitted their emissions will NOT reduce for another decade.
India has stated that emissions reductions are not as important as reduction of poverty.
They are not exactly pulling their weight compared to the rest of us.
Let me tell you, that's the overriding view here in the United States too.
Why should we pull all the weight when the Chinese upstarts are not? Yes - we understand that there are some very stupid and backward people in the USA.
The USA is in no position to think China is not "pulling its weight".
The climate change effects being felt NOW are due in little part to Chinese emissions. They are mainly due to the historic emissions of he past century from the people of the Western democracies, since CO2 remains in teh atmosphere for up to a century
TOP 10 historic emitters:1. US: 339,174 MT or 28.8%
2. China: 105,915 MT or 9.0%
3. Russia: 94,679 MT or 8.0%
4. Germany: 81,194.5 MT or 6.9%
5. UK: 68,763 MT or 5.8%
6. Japan: 45,629 MT or 3.87%
7. France: 32,667 MT or 2.77%
8. India: 28,824 MT or 2.44%
9. Canada: 25,716 MT or 2.2%
10. Ukraine: 25,431 MT or 2.2%http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/21/countries-responsible-climate-change
China is up there certainly - but still a long long way behind the USA. And a long long long way behind the sum of the USA and the other modern industrialised nations of the 20thC (USA+UK+Fr+Ger+Can+Aust etc...)
But if we are to classify polluters by their nationality - as you seem to think is important - it is he USA that is not "pulling it's weight" - not China.