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China’s air quality is worse than that of the United States ever was. And as a developing country it has fewer resources with which to attack the problem. Coal is an abundant energy source in China so it is not surprising that coal-based power plants are mainly responsible for fueling the country’s rapid economic growth.
Even at this relatively early stage of its development, China consumes more coal than the United States, the European Union and Japan put together. Coal consumption has jumped 14 percent in recent years as part of “the broadest industrialization ever.” To give this figure some context: “Every week to 10 days, another coal-fired power plant opens somewhere in China that is big enough to serve all the households in Dallas or San Diego.”1
In fact, levels of sulfur pollution from Chinese power plants are so high that they counterbalance the warming effect produced by greenhouse gas emissions, perhaps by as much as one-third. This counterbalancing effect occurs when sulfur concentrations in the atmosphere create a protective layer that reflects the sun’s rays and keeps the region below cooler, thus mitigating the effects of carbon emissions. It can take up to 10 years for local carbon dioxide levels to offset the cooling effect created by constant sulfur pollution.
But this protection comes at a steep price. Sulfur dioxide pollution contributes to 400,000 deaths a year in China, and 55 percent of the country is blanketed by acid rain.2 This has created a virtually unprecedented dilemma for the Chinese, according to one expert, “It’s sort of unethical to expect people not to clear up their air quality for the sake of the climate.”3
China has responded to the challenge posed by sulfur pollution with an aggressive set of initiatives for energy conservation. These include strict fuel economy standards, extensive use of home insulation technology and advanced light bulbs, and a proposed goal of “cut[ting] the average amount of energy needed to produce each good or service by 20 percent over the next five years.”
Despite China’s expressed commitment, many of its ambitious goals are not practical. In 2002 the government pledged to reduce sulfur emissions by 10 percent by 2005. The blistering pace of China’s economic growth, however, meant that emissions continued to rise by almost 30 percent during this period.4
China may need help from the international community to cut sulfur emissions in a meaningful way. It is in the world’s interests to provide this help, not only because pollution will eventually overwhelm China, but also because air currents have a tendency to drive smog clouds over neighboring countries in East and Southeast Asia.
Recognizing this, both Japan and the World Bank have stepped in with millions of dollars in loans and grants to help China cope with the aftereffects of its coal usage. Unfortunately for all parties, China has not taken full advantage of this assistance. The government prefers to buy older, cheaper coal-processing equipment produced by domestic manufacturers. It also demands that foreign firms transfer advanced electricity-generating technology to Chinese companies as a precondition for considering more expensive imports. 5
The effectiveness with which China copes with its air pollution will have ramifications for the region and the world. All nations have a stake in ensuring a positive outcome.
This problem has become more of an issue as the Kyoto Protocol commitment period draws to a close. The Chinese foreign minister had several meetings with President Obama and UN climate change executives about the country’s carbon emissions. Chinese officials told the UN conference in Bonn that China will not make any binding agreements to cut emissions.Other countries, like Japan, have also made significantly smaller commitments than expected.6 This has created much anxiety for those hoping to slow global warming.
In early 2010, India and China submitted letters to the United Nations agreeing to be part of the Copenhagen Accord. This nonbinding agreement calls for an annual budget of $100 billion to help emerging countries adapt to climate change, develop low-carbon energy systems, and to protect tropical forests.7
Graph: Sources of Sulfur Dioxide, Source: http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/so2/what1.html
1 Bradsher and Barboza
Next: Appendix I. The European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme