As the leading emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and a
rapidly growing economy, China is often cited as a major
obstacle to confronting climate change. But the government and
private sector there has taken a surprising, if modest, turn
toward addressing climate change even as the American
government's own efforts have slowed, The Washington Post
reports. In the past five years, China has ended subsidies for
motor fuel, and its fuel-efficiency standards for new urban
vehicles is even higher than the United States, at 36.7 mpg. In
addition, it’s shut down older, less clean power plants and set
energy-efficiency standards in buildings and new coal plants.
"We think this is a new business for us, not a burden," Gan
Zhongxue, a scientist with a Chinese energy company researching
green technology told the Post.