While Australia debates the merits of going nuclear and frustration grows over the slower-than-needed switch to solar and wind power, China's renewables rollout is breaking all the records.
I disagree.
Of course more people will pollute more, it’s basic math so if a country with 10 millions inhabitants produces 5 times as much greenhouse gases as a country with 1 million inhabitants, the smaller country is the one which should do more.
Global warming (and pollution in general) is a global issue, we can’t ask people to produce less because they happen to live in a bigger country.
The fact that the EU or the US produce more than half the amount of GHG than India or China with not even half their population is insane.
I am not saying China is doing enough, simply that we can’t point our finger at them when we all pollute more.
A bigger country has more industry.
Spain is bigger, has more industry and pollutes more than Portugal for example and it’s “normal” (as normal as destroying the environment is).
And pretending the end consumer doesn’t bare any responsibility is dishonest.
I’d also add that most manufacturing done in China is not for Chinese citizens but us, Europeans and Americans.
I disagree. Of course more people will pollute more, it’s basic math so if a country with 10 millions inhabitants produces 5 times as much greenhouse gases as a country with 1 million inhabitants, the smaller country is the one which should do more. Global warming (and pollution in general) is a global issue, we can’t ask people to produce less because they happen to live in a bigger country. The fact that the EU or the US produce more than half the amount of GHG than India or China with not even half their population is insane.
I am not saying China is doing enough, simply that we can’t point our finger at them when we all pollute more.
But it’s not mostly people who are doing most of the polluting, it’s industry. That has nothing to do with population size.
A bigger country has more industry. Spain is bigger, has more industry and pollutes more than Portugal for example and it’s “normal” (as normal as destroying the environment is). And pretending the end consumer doesn’t bare any responsibility is dishonest. I’d also add that most manufacturing done in China is not for Chinese citizens but us, Europeans and Americans.
China doesn’t have to allow that manufacturing.