U.S. EMISSIONS FIGHT=CHINA EFFICIENCY FIGHT

Is China outdoing US in curbing carbon? Its plans to limit emissions and boost efficiency could undercut a key argument against carbon dioxide limits in the US
Mark Clayton, April 27, 2007 (Christian Science Monitor)

WHO
China, and U.S. leaders pondering measures to incentivize reduced greenhouse gas emissions by applying costs to emitting.

WHAT
- The competitive balance between economies that apply costs for emitting greenhouse gases and those that do not, in particular the competitive balance between a United States which introduces a carbon tax or a carbon cap-and-trade system and a China that does not participate, is evaluated.
- Also, China may be willing to incur the costs of curtailing emissions simply to protect its own environment and eliminate dependence on imports by developing its own national renewable energy sources. By doing so, it could benefit from offsets sold in European and U.S. carbon markets.

WHEN
- Neither country is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocols, nor does either presently have a mandatory greenhouse gas limit. But most U.S. leaders are rapidly moving toward legislating for something that will combat climate change by discouraging emissions.
- China will become the largest emitter sometime between now and 2010. Best case scenario, it will be a major emitter as far out as 2010. But efforts begun in 2001 are having a favorable impact.

WHERE
Washington, D.C. is contemplating federal measures, most of which would inevitably affect the U.S. economy.

WHY
China is about to become the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. Its environment is a disaster and it relies heavily on imported energy, especially oil. It has developed an aggressive program to become more efficient and, though it has fallen short of its stated goals, it has proven it may “myths” the ideas it will not cut emissions and will uninhibited polluting against economic growth. China Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even signed an agreement to work on a Kyoto-like treaty. Nevertheless, political and business leaders continue to obstruct U.S. efforts to prevent global warming due to concerns about an economic disadvantage against China.

QUOTES
- Sen. Pete Domenici ,R., New Mexico: "I will not support major legislation imposed upon the American economic system ... unless and until we have brought the Chinese on board…"
- Ned Helme, president of the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), a Washington think tank: "You hear people in Washington saying we can't do anything if China doesn't do anything to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions…But that's basically a myth. China is really doing quite a lot, not under treaty but on their own."
- Mark Levine, China Energy Group of Lawrence Livermore Lab: "They've really done a lot already to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency…"We in the US would be better off to deal with the reality of what China is doing rather than the perception of where China stands…"
- Michael Morris, president, American Electric Power & Edwin Hill, president, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: "Imposition of emission controls by some but not all major emitting nations disrupts the competitive trade balance between nations and inappropriately shifts jobs to countries without emissions controls, where manufacturing costs will be less…"
- Kyle Danish, Washington law firm Van Ness Feldman: "For some lawmakers, their opposition has turned from 'we shouldn't do this because climate change isn't occurring' to 'we shouldn't do this because what we do has no meaning if China doesn't act,'… "