GW Defense: Alt Causes China makes warming inevitable Keith Bradsher, 7/4/10, New York Times, "China Fears Consumer Impact on Global Warming ," Already, in the last three years, China has shut down more than a thousand older coal-fired power plants that used technology of the sort still China has surpassed the world as the biggest investor in common in the United States. also rest of the wind turbines and clean technology. But even as other energy And it has dictated tough new energy standards for lighting and gas mileage for cars. Beijing imposes the world’s most rigorous national energy campaign, the effort is being overwhelmed by the billionfold demands of Chinese consumers. Chinese and Western energy experts worry that China’s energy challenge If China could become the world’s problem — possibly dooming any international efforts to place meaningful limits on global warming. cannot meet its own energy-efficiency targets, the chances of avoiding widespread environmental damage from rising temperatures very close to zero,” said the International “are Fatih Birol, chief economist of the Energy Agency China’s in Paris. Aspiring to a more Western standard of living, in many cases with the government’s encouragement, population, is clamoring for more 1.3 billion strong, and bigger cars, for electricity-dependent home appliances and for more China is becoming less energy efficient. creature comforts like air-conditioned shopping malls. As a result, actually even And most of its energy is still produced by burning fossil fuels, China’s emission of carbon dioxide because — a so- is growing worse. greenhouse gas — This past winter and spring showed the largest six-month increase in tonnage ever by a single country.
GW Defense: Alt Causes China makes warming inevitable Keith Bradsher, 7/4/10, New York Times, "China Fears Consumer Impact on Global Warming ," Already, in the last three years, China has shut down more than a thousand older coal-fired power plants that used technology of the sort still common in the United States. China has also surpassed the rest of the world as the biggest investor in wind turbines and other clean energy technology. And it has dictated tough new energy standards for lighting and gas mileage for cars. But even as Beijing imposes the world’s most rigorous national energy campaign, the effort is being overwhelmed by the billionfold demands of Chinese consumers. Chinese and Western energy experts worry that China’s energy challenge could become the world’s problem — possibly dooming any international efforts to place meaningful limits on global warming. If China cannot meet its own energy-efficiency targets, the chances of avoiding widespread environmental damage from rising temperatures “are very close to zero,” said Fatih Birol, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency in Paris. Aspiring to a more Western standard of living, in many cases with the government’s encouragement, China’s population, 1.3 billion strong, is clamoring for more and bigger cars, for electricity-dependent home appliances and for more creature comforts like air-conditioned shopping malls. As a result, China is actually becoming even less energy efficient. And because most of its energy is still produced by burning fossil fuels, China’s emission of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas — is growing worse. This past winter and spring showed the largest six-month increase in tonnage ever by a single country. so-