An Inconvenient Omission: Where Al Gore Got It DEAD WRONG.

[The Cleaner]

Don't get me wrong. I watched An Inconvenient Truth this weekend and was startled. Al Gore presented a convincing case for global warming. He also gave us a bit of his personal side, and let me tell you, I'm a guy but a tear nearly came to my eye when he talked about how he felt after losing in 2000. It just wasn't fair. He should have been our President.

Anyway, I was taken aback when Gore talked about China. He seemed to admire China, and mentioned the Chinese coal plants. Pictures of happy Chinese officials and Gore sitting around a table, Gore coming into what looked like a shopping mall or something with flags everywhere, it seemed to evoke a sort of glorification of China's policies concerning environmental issues. He even cited China as being (my words here) "ahead of the curve."

But is that the truth? Is China so far ahead of other nations when it comes to global warming and the environment? From the New York Times:

HANJING, China — One of China's lesser-known exports is a dangerous brew of soot, toxic chemicals and climate-changing gases from the smokestacks of coal-burning power plants.

In early April, a dense cloud of pollutants over Northern China sailed to nearby Seoul, sweeping along dust and desert sand before wafting across the Pacific. An American satellite spotted the cloud as it crossed the West Coast.

Researchers in California, Oregon and Washington noticed specks of sulfur compounds, carbon and other byproducts of coal combustion coating the silvery surfaces of their mountaintop detectors. These microscopic particles can work their way deep into the lungs, contributing to respiratory damage, heart disease and cancer...

Unless China finds a way to clean up its coal plants and the thousands of factories that burn coal, pollution will soar both at home and abroad. The increase in global-warming gases from China's coal use will probably exceed that for all industrialized countries combined over the next 25 years, surpassing by five times the reduction in such emissions that the Kyoto Protocol seeks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/business/worldbusiness/11chinacoal.html?ex=1307678400en=e9ac1f6255a24fd8ei=5088partner=rssnytemc=rss&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1171294346-YzGPSywx2YZOKRgsw28a2Q

So as you can see, Al Gore got it dead wrong when it comes to China. Furthermore, I wonder if it's really true that America is truly the largest polluter. Not that I think we shouldn't sign onto Kyoto or that we shouldn't reduce our pollution but facts are facts, and they don't lie. China is a major polluter if not the preeminent one, and the world needs to come together to put pressure on China to do something about it.

[phantom power]

1. China is number 2, behind the US.

Considering that we have 1/4 the population, I think it's most productive to focus on cleaning up our own act instead of wasting time pointing fingers at the Chinese.

[The Cleaner]

5. Huh?

China has what, 1.5 BILLION people - we only have around 500 million (I believe). Wouldn't it make sense for China to also clean up their act since they have more people and are perhaps causing MORE pollution than us?

It is a known fact that China has a very poor record on environmental regulation. Stories of chemically polluted rivers and streams have been all over the news.

The United States is guilty too but we have at least some regulations in place, and the EPA (although Bush would like the EPA to go to hell I know). China doesn't have much of that, if any, and according to this article is even sending clouds of pollution our way and to other parts of the world. That's what I'm saying. What China does affects us directly too.

We should do our part. But it would be a tragedy if the world didn't put more pressure on China to enact some environmental regulations.

[phantom power]

7. Perhaps I can explain. What I see happening lately...

is various governments around the world playing the equivalent of the old school-yard game: "You're the biggest polluter, you clean up first!" "No, you're polluting too! I'm not going to stop until you do! It's not fair!"

I guess another way to put it is: which nations have the moral authority to "put pressure on China" to clean up? Especially considering that one of the main reason China pollutes so much is that they are very busy making unsustainably-cheap products which the rest of the world is (so far) happy enough to purchase. The political pragmatics aren't there yet. There will be nobody with credibility to ask anything of China until somebody "goes first." I suppose China might in theory go first, but I can only imagine them laughing at anybody demanding that they do.

Meanwhile, as I'm sure you know, nobody is "cleaning up." They're arguing about the burden of rolling back to 1990-levels of GHG emissions, when in fact the last time human GHG emissions were in equilibrium was 1860. Pre Civil War. And we don't need equilibrium. We need sub-equilibrium. We need GHG levels to fall, not remain constant.

For the most part, we need to be turning our attention to surviving climate change. We missed the boat on prevention by at least 10 years. Maybe a lot more than that.

[The Cleaner]

11. You're right. We should sign onto Kyoto then and set an example first.

Bush and the Repubs would love nothing more than for us to live in clouds of toxic gas, so long as their almighty dollar is unimpeded by "big government red tape." nonsense! And immoral, wrecking people's healths for their own gain.

Anyway the world, including the U.S., needs to own up and do our part to lead and set the example. But at the same time we need to work together to reduce China's emissions and, if we REALLY want to get ahead of the curve, India's too.

[Warpy]

2. I know I was a little surprised by that, too

China is still developing, though, so they're just beginning to realize that unscrubbed coal smoke kills and is completely indiscriminate in who it kills. That means their educated and nouveau riche classes will be affected as much as their slum dwellers are, and they can't afford it.

The problem is that most Chinese households are still heated with blocks of compressed coal, the most economical heating around for them. Even if they require antipollution devices on the growing number of cars and scooters and scrubbers on factory smokestacks, they will still need to find a way for their people to heat their homes and cook their food if they are to make a dent in the amount of pollution generated there.

I'm surprised Gore missed that part.

[NYCGirl]

3. China actually produces 16.9% of the world's CO2 (3.19 tons per person),

while the US produces 23.04% (with 19.81 tons per person!), according to the UN.

http://worldcoolers.org/co2map/

[NewJeffCT]

4. China realizing they have a problem is way different

than China actually doing something about it...

The government will admit they have a problem and they are trying to take steps to do something about it (far more than Team Bush at least)

However, unless the central government really comes down hard on lawbreakers and local officials, and does so consistently and for a length of time, it will be almost impossible to enforce any policy to improve environmental conditions.

The system there is so corrupt that most local factories and businesses will just ignore any regulation that will cut into their profits figuring - weighing the slim chance of getting caught vs actually implementing technological and environmental improvements that cost money and cut into profits. And, local officials fear doing anything as well, because if the mayor of City A tries to enforce a law against a local factory in his or her city, the factory will just shut down in City A and move to City B, and the mayor of City A now has to deal with an increase in unemployment from the lost jobs, and a loss in local tax revenue from the factory shutdown.

This is not just a product of the communist government - it's been the way of life there for centuries.

[Dora]

6. I'm a huge fan of teaching by example. Don't think much of hypocrisy.

How could we possibly convince China that we're sincere in attacking global warming when we've withdrawn support for the Kyoto whatsis, and have decimated our domestic pollution controls?

Seriously, it's like bitching at a neighbor because their grass is 18 inches high and needs mowing, when we've got junkers up on blocks in our own yard.

You're right - the world does need to come together on the issue, but that doesn't change the fact that as a country, the U.S. has a lot of work to do here at home, regardless of what China is doing or not doing.

[The Cleaner]

9. Agreed. We do have to lead by example.

And we do have to sign onto Kyoto. But the China problem is more complex I think. I don't believe they would immediately drop what they are doing and implement environmental regulations just because we signed onto Kyoto. Yes it would make a huge difference, but the world still needs to root out their problems in getting regulations up to par.

Not just us, but the WORLD needs to come together to help China in this effort because as the article lays out it affects us all.

[johnaries]

8. China IS actually doing something...

from 2005: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/41

Solar Energy Booming in China

The city of Beijing, China’s second-largest energy consumer, has announced plans to build a “solar street” where buildings, streetlights, and other features will run entirely on energy from the sun. A second pilot project in the city’s Xuanwu Park will introduce solar power for lighting, heating, and refrigeration. Both projects reflect a larger government commitment to dramatically increase China’s use of renewable energy in the coming decades.

In a move to cut domestic reliance on coal and oil, the Chinese parliament passed a historic law in February pledging to use renewable energy resources for 10 percent of China’s energy consumption by 2020. The new law includes details on the purchase and use of solar photovoltaics (PV), solar water heating, and renewable energy fuels. In particular, the government will promote the use of solar PV in buildings as a way to push China’s solar energy industry, said an official at the International New Energy and Renewable Energy Forum on September 19.

China has several advantages in solar energy development. According to Xinhua Net, two-thirds of China’s land area receives more than 2,000 hours of sunlight annually, more than many other regions of similar latitude, including Europe and Japan. This gives China a potential solar energy reserve equivalent to 1,700 billion tons of coal. And China has become a world leader in PV cell production: Shangde Solar Energy Power Company, the country’s largest crystal silicon solar cell producer, recently expanded its operations and expects to boost China’s total production capacity of the technology from 200 to 320 megawatts by the end of this year.

China is also a world leader in solar thermal production and use, accounting for 55 percent of global solar heating capacity (excluding pool systems)—or 52 million square meters of collectors—by the end of 2003, reports Worldwatch Institute senior researcher Janet Sawin in Vital Signs 2005. China aims to boost its production capacity of one specific type of collector, solar heat panels, to 51 million square meters by the end of 2005, which would make it the world leader in solar heat panel production, according to an official from the National Engineering Research Center for Renewable Energy

[The Cleaner]

10. Good for them, I hope that catches on and becomes viable.

However in the article in the OP, it cites China as growing their dirty coal plants and polluting even more in years to come.

Perhaps the world ought to encourage China in these alternative energies such as solar and windpower.

[skygazer]

12. I don't remember the exact words because it's been a bit

But I seem to recall that when he was sitting with those people around the table discussing coal mining, they were discussing the large mines and how they are contributing to the problem. I seem to remember the man at the end of the table telling Gore that the mine he was pointing to was one of the worst. The scene struck me as a dialogue between Chinese who were concerned about the effects of these coal mines and Gore, not any kind of validation of Chinese methods.

As for the scene in the mall or whatever it was, I don't recall that as being connected with any validation either, simply a view that he was being welcomed in China.

However, I don't remember the context of the "ahead of the curve" statement - actually, I don't remember the statement at all. But the impression I got from the whole thing was an effort to work with China to reduce their emissions.

[Bjornsdotter]

13. Let's fix our country

...first, before we start on China. :eyes:

Cheers

[The Cleaner]

14. AL GORE'S RESPONSE TO CHINA ISSUE

Truthout just posted this update to Gore's position on China:

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/020807EC.shtml