Note that the U.S. still produces much more greenhouse gases per person than China does. And much of the pollution in China is created by producing goods for other countries, including the U.S.http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/03/3444105/china-carbon-cap-2/
BY ARI PHILLIPS JUNE 3, 2014
One day after the United States proposed rules to limit the amount of carbon emitted from existing power plants, China said it will limit its total CO2 emissions for the first time, likely starting in 2016 with the announcement of their next five-year plan. China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, and the U.S., the second biggest, account for about 42 percent of global emissions. The back-to-back signalling of serious domestic efforts to reduce emissions could signal a much-needed boost of momentum at the upcoming U.N. climate talks in an effort to establish a post-Kyoto global commitment. However the statements, which come from He Jiankun, chairman of China’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change, are without specific detail or commitment and merely offer speculation on China’s approach to regulating GHGs going forward.
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The cap will be the first time China, which has been plagued by air pollution from coal-burning power plants as well as the impacts of climate change in the form of heat and drought, has publicly committed to limiting emissions. Right now China is only attempting to limit “carbon intensity” which means as the economy expands carbon emissions can continue to grow. A peak on overall emissions would help separate economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions.
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China has been slowly rolling out local and regional initiatives to reduce dirty fossil fuel production while at the same time encouraging the growth of renewable energy sources. Coal still accounts for about two-thirds of China’s energy production,
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