'China: The Biggest Polluter'

By Jack Dini
In 2009, the US drop in carbon dioxide emissions was the largest since data collection began in 1949. They were 7 percent lower due to slow economic growth, a drop in energy demand of almost 5 percent, a drop in electricity generation of 4 percent, the use of more efficient technologies, and the addition of cleaner sources of energy (natural gas and renewable energy), Worldwide, emissions dropped 1.3 percent, mostly a matter of the economy. The last time carbon dioxide pollution dropped worldwide was in 1999.
So this is one plus of economic downturn. However, if you think the present economic downturn is bad, imagine what it would be like if we followed the suggestion of Professor Kevin Andersen of the UK’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research who submitted a paper in Cancun saying ‘rich’ nations such as the US should halt economic growth over the next 20 years while allowing developing nations such as China and India to continue their explosive growth and emissions growth. He suggests enforcement of economic growth restrictions in nations such as the US should be similar to World War II-style rationing.

Let’s take a brief look at China and India:

China’s carbon dioxide pollution jumped 8 percent from 2008 to 2009 and India’s went up over 6 percent. In 1990, the developed world produced 65 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide. Now it is less than 43 percent as those countries have cut about 10 percent of their emissions while the developing world has more than doubled their overall emissions.
China has long relied on coal to fuel its economic growth as about three-quarters of its electricity output is produced by coal-fired power stations. China totaled 46 percent of the world’s coal consumption in 2009, and amount 3.5 times more than the United States consumed and China became a net importer of coal when it imported 113 thousand more tons than it exported.
India’s coal consumption has been increasing at 6 percent per year since 2000 and its net coal imports in 2009 were 74,000 short tons, about two-thirds of China’s level. Although India is endowed with less coal reserves than China, with 7 percent of the world’s total, its growing dependence on coal consumption will make it a growing contributor to carbon dioxide emission. more>>
Courtesy: canadafreepress.com