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Economic Development and Climate Change: China

China has surpassed the U.S. as a top annual emitter of greenhouse gases, but China complains that the blame for greenhouse gas emissions lies with the developed nations. It states that it is unfair to restrain China’s economic development with mandatory cuts in emissions and that the CO₂ in the atmosphere already is mostly due to the developed world.

According to data in a recent letter from Dr. Jim Hansen (NASA climate scientist) to the Prime Minister of Japan, the 2007 annual CO₂ emissions for the United States were 19.3% of the total emissions for the entire world, while China was 20.6% and India only 5%.  However, cumulative emissions from 1751 - 2007 show the United States much higher than China or India, with the U.S. contributing 27.2% of total emissions, and China only 8.5%.

However, China is ahead of the game. It is already notable for its leadership in the solar power industry and has the world's largest solar panel maker, Suntech Power. Additionally, it is expected to become a major market for carbon capture and storage technologies.

Due to its political structure and considerable financial resources China can more easily mandate new technologies. Even though it has entered the new economic development phase late, China is able to jump over the outdated, polluting technologies and jump ahead to more advanced and efficient power generations systems and technologies.

Source: Bush Alters Climate Dynamics, by John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal, 1 June 2007. Dr. Jim Hansen's letter to Prime Minister of Japan, 3 July 2008.  http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20080703_DearPrimeMinisterFukuda.pdf.

And

Green China by Stephen Simpson, CFA Investopedia, Forbes Media Company.

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