The US assistant Secretary of State for Energy, David Sandalow, has argued that the rigorous industrial policy of China might act as a prime cause for further climate change problems in the future. Arguing that China must act ambitiously in their carbon emissions policies and climate change precautions, Sandalow stated that he believed the current emissions habits in China would result in a global rise in temperature of close to 3C by 2050.
In a fervent attack on China's policies, Sandalow further argued that this scenario would come to fruition, even if every other major nation reduced their own emissions by 80% in the same time.
The statements come as a result of Sandalow's discussions with counterparts in Beijing, over potential policy arrangements at the Copenhagen summit in December. With Sandalow's comments carrying a certain accusatory weight, some fear that a wedge could be driven between the two nations, who, as the two biggest single contributors to carbon emissions worldwide, will need to be fully committed at the Copenhagen summit.
China, of course, have ideas of their own on the matter, and have recently suggested that those nation's that industrialised earliest - the US, The UK, France, Germany, amongst others - should cut their own emissions by 40%, paying 1% of their GDP to poorer nations, in order to help less developed countries with a move towards green energy and renewable sources.
In their own corner, China has begun research into a solar power scheme that would make them the world's largest solar energy user, and investments into wind energy are also under way.
But the finger pointing which seems to be developing between the two nations will not help matters in Copenhagen, and the Chinese news broadcasting agency Xinhua, state controlled, stated that "The key to getting negotiation results will be that the few developed countries do not shift blame on others and reduce emissions first", signalling China's own response to Sandalow's comments.
Once again, like so much discussion on environmental policy this year, people will look to Copenhagen and the Climate Change Summit as a provider of answers, whether positive or negative.
Posted under Articles, Environmental News
This post was written by Chris Woolfrey on June 10, 2009
