China's "Green" Energy Agenda not so Enviro-Friendly
New York Times – Security Tops the Environment in China’s Energy Plan
Over three years after embarking on the project, China is on track to have a piece of energy legislation in place by winter 2010-2011. That is certainly not to say, however, that the policy to be proposed and pathways forward are without major flaws and missing pieces.
China, having grown increasingly dependent on imported energy in recent years, aims to enhance its security by increasing energy independence. And it plans to do this, in large part, regardless of costs to the environment. While renewable sources are to be tapped, coal, the worst, most potent of the greenhouse gas emitters, is a major component of this strategy. China is home to the third largest reserves in the world.
Moreover, despite the hype surrounding the country’s progress on manufacturing renewable energy goods, according to a top-tier member of the commission in charge of composing the legislation, China lacks the capacity to produce manufactured goods of a certain quality without technological aid from the United States. Stated the official,
We need international cooperation… America should be leader.
Add this to the list of reasons the U.S. must step up its efforts in the arena – and pass a climate bill.
