China Going Green?
January 4th, 2007
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As China rapidly develops, it’s getting increasingly concerned about the envoironment.
Is China getting serious about the environment, albeit out of concern for its continued economic growth? Seed magazine (via AFP) picks up two telling stories: First, China has just released its first official report on global climate change. The report concludes that greenhouse gases from human activity are leading to climate change, and that economic growth could be hindered if global warming continued. The report warns that temperatures could rise in the Middle Kingdom by 1.3-2.1 degrees Celsius by 2020, and by as many as 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Given that 2006 was China’s hottest year in half a century and thousands died from widespread droughts, the new report no doubt reflects a concerned Beijing.[link]
Two short comments-
a. China is concerned that envoironmental damage could potentially affect it’s growth.
b. It’s increasingly clear that as nations develop and are able to meet primary needs of their people, they do get concerned about more abstract aspects like envoironment. However, it would be futile for the West to expect them to be concerned before economic development happens.
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