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Capping emissions?

• James Reynolds
• 9 Jul 08, 11:55 AM GMT

Staying on the subject of air ...

Climate change is in the news. The G8 has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions .

China's not in the G8 - so it's not bound by this pledge.

But here's the point - recent studies show that China may now be the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. So, for any climate change deal to work in the long-term, the subject of China and its carbon emissions will have to be addressed.

So, what's this country doing at the moment?

In 2007, China released a . Under the terms of this plan, the government promised to improve energy efficiency by 20%, and to increase to 10% the amount of energy it gets from renewable sources (at the moment it gets most of its energy from coal.)

China says that its objectives also include "To make achievements in controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions." But, significantly, it doesn't set a cap on its emissions.

I want to list the three main arguments that China uses to support its non-capping position:

1) The West caused it - the West should fix it

In its National Climate Change Programme, China says this: "Climate change is mainly caused by the massive GHG emissions originated in developed countries since industrial revolution." In other words, China's not to blame for global warming. The West had its industrial revolutions, so the rest of the developing world (including China) should be allowed to do the same. Any attempt to stop China developing would be an attack on the human rights of Chinese people.

2) Look at emissions per head - not per country

China says that the average Chinese person is responsible for 3.65 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. By comparison, the average Westerner is responsible for more than 10 tonnes (the average American is responsible for even more.) So, China argues, it's the Westerner who should go on a carbon diet, not the Chinese person.

3) Your companies - your emissions

In recent years, Western companies have moved their factories to China. These factories make Western goods which are then exported to Western consumers. So why should China be blamed for emissions from these factories?

So, if climate change negotiators want to get China to agree to a cap on its own emissions, it will have to tackle these three arguments.

Should China cap its emissions? Let me know.

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