CHINA BECOMES WORLD'S BIGGEST POLLUTER FAR EARLIER THAN EXPECTED

INDEPENDENT, UK - In a seismic shift for the world, China will overtake
the United States as the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases this year,
far earlier than thought - and present the problem of tackling climate
change in even more difficult terms. The Chinese economy, which is now
growing at the unprecedented rate of 11 per cent annually, is sending
carbon emissions from China's mushrooming coal-fired power stations
beyond those of the whole of the US, the International Energy Agency
said yesterday.
Less than three years ago the Paris-based IEA forecast that China would
overtake the US as the world's biggest polluter - but not before 2025.
More recently it said that China would be first by 2010. . .
The Chinese and the others are fiercely resistant to the idea of CO2
cuts being imposed on them, as they feel they should be entirely free to
pursue economic growth, just as western countries have done for 200
years. They also still have much lower carbon emissions in per capita
terms than do western nations.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2483839.ece

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