Climate change is a fact, says China

[depakid]

China sceptical on scepticism: A woman rides her bicycle past a Chinese power station.
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A deputy director of China's most powerful economic ministry has come out swinging against climate change denial. Senior Chinese government figures have described the view that climate change is not man-made as an "extreme" stance which is out of step with mainstream thought. The comments were made during China's annual sitting of the National People's Congress.

During the congress, a series of press conferences are held which, in many cases, are the only chance to put questions to members of China's power elite. Last night, one such press conference was held on the subject of climate change.

The ABC asked the panel what they thought of the view that climate change had nothing to do with human activity and was in fact a natural phenomenon. Xie Zhenhua, a deputy director at China's powerful economic ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission, answered that he believed that made-made climate change denial is, at best, a very marginal view. "Climate change is a fact based on long-time observations by countries around the world," he said. "There are two different views regarding the causes for global warming.

"The mainstream view is that climate change is caused by burning of fossil fuel in the course of industrialisation. "There's a more extreme view which holds that human activity has only an imperceptible impact on the natural system." He said the responsibility for this climate change rested squarely with the Western world, so the onus was on it to clean up the mess caused in the rush to industrialisation.

"The climate in China is warming. It's something every one of us can feel," he said. "Climate change is having an impact on China in terms of the instability of agricultural output. "There's now more flooding in the south of China and increasing shortages of water in the north. Forests and grasslands are being eroded and there are more typhoons and storm surges along our coast. "So, if you look ahead to the long term, climate change may have a huge impact on China's food security and the life and property of our people."

The chairman of the Congress Environmental and Resources Protection Committee, Wang Guangtao, also spoke. He acknowledged there were some experts who believed current statistics on climate change were not reliable enough. But he said that merely meant more work needed to be done on the minutiae of the statistics. He said that did not detract from the pressing need to reduce fossil fuels and expand the world's forest coverage.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/11/2842415.htm?section=world

[tinrobot]

1. ...and what are they going to do about it?

China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

[joshcryer]

2. Build more coal plants.

[kristopher]

4. If we took the policy action they have taken the problem would be solved...

What the law below does is to guide the structure of their emerging grid. Instead of basing it on the operating characteristics of centralized thermal type of generation it will be based on the operating characteristics of renewable generation. This means that the type of structural obstacles that stand in the way of building renewable energy are going to apply instead to thermal generation. When someone wants to make money, they will invest first in renewable power sources, not in centralized thermal.

China's new Energy Law could be turning point for sustainable development
Source: Greenpeace International
Posted by: Greenpeace International - archive
Posted on: Feb 28, 2005 @ 9:02 am

Beijing, China, 28 February 2005 - Today, the Chinese top legislature voted to pass China's first renewable energy promotion law, which will help the country meet ambitious targets for the uptake of renewable energy. Greenpeace welcomed China's commitment to clean renewable energy as the new law could kick-start a massive take-up of clean energy, such as wind power. With the potential to become a world leader in renewables, China could transform the global markets.

"China could and should be a world leader in renewable energy development. This law has long been anticipated by the global renewable energy industry. If the definition of renewables and the details are right then the international community will get behind China and support its ambition to become an international clean energy powerhouse," said Steve Sawyer from Greenpeace International.
The Renewable Energy Promotion Law, which takes effect on the 1January 2006, will allow the renewable energy industry in China to take off. The law guarantees grid access for renewable energy producers as well as spreading the costs of these new technologies across the electricity sector.

The law's enactment is a signal of China's intentions in relation to global climate protection efforts, as well as its commitment to cleaner air and energy security, and it is well timed with the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol two weeks ago. At present, China has no binding obligation under Kyoto, but as the world's second largest emitter of CO2, international attention has focused on the country and its efforts to curb CO2 emissions growth.
Renewable energy is seen as crucial and there is enormous international interest in China's potential as a huge market for wind power and other renewable energy technologies. The growth of the wind energy in China last year was 35%, even without the new law. China has similarly huge potential for solar, wave, tidal and biomass power and with energy efficiency could meet all its needs solely from clean energy.
For further information please contact:
Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace International policy adviser [phone]
Yu Jie, Greenpeace China energy policy advisor in Beijing, + 86 13501159105
Sven Teske, Greenpeace International renewable energy campaigner, + 31 6 212 96 894

[Viking12]

3. They just need to conduct some polls or steal some e-mails or something

Then it will all go away there too.

[troubledamerican]

5. How did Al Gore sign-up China for the conspiracy? What a mastermind.