China building more power plants

Article on the BBC News website.

Key points:

• John Ashton, the top climate change official at the UK Foreign Office, has said that China is now building about two power stations every week.

• A new report suggested that China may have already become the world's biggest polluter - much earlier than expected. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency said China's CO2 emissions had risen by 9% last year, compared to 1.4% in the US.

• It is estimated that the average American still pollutes between five and six times more than the average Chinese person.

Running behind again:

Ah, the pleasures of being buried under mounds of work...

Just a brief note again. China, the one country that could potentially out-pollute the United States, has come out with a rather worrying statement.

China has, rather accurately, pinned the blame for global warming on the developed nations and has stated that it will make efforts to combat global warming through energy saving, agricultural adaptation, and forest expansion. However, China has also said that it would not sacrifice economic growth to satisfy international demands to help combat global warming.

Two things to bear in mind:

1. The US produces 25% of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions and has a population of 300 million, or 4% of the world.
2. China has a population of 1,300 million, more than 4 times the population of the States, and currently produces around 15% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.

China has the potential to massively increase it's carbon dioxide output. So, while they ought to be applauded for making a great effort to keep their emissions under control, if it slips we could be in a lot of trouble.