The article in the url below makes both for a refreshing and depressing read. The article is refreshing, because it reports important steps China is taking to build cleaner coal plants:
“China has emerged in the past two years as the world's leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost.”
The article is depressing, however, because it seems that China is doing a much better job in this regard than the U.S.:
“While the United States is still debating whether to build a more efficient kind of coal-fired power plant that uses extremely hot steam, China has begun building such plants at a rate of one a month.”
While China is taking at least preliminary steps to minimize the environmental impact of its reliance on coal-generated energy, by retiring old plants and building new ones with better technology:
“Western countries continue to rely heavily on coal-fired power plants built decades ago with outdated, inefficient technology that burn a lot of coal and emit considerable amounts of carbon dioxide.”
The overall reliance on coal, both in the U.S. and in China is not good news:
“China uses more coal than the United States, Europe and Japan combined, making it the world's largest emitter of gases that are warming the planet.”
Recent media reports about China’s evolving approach to climate change, however, are increasingly promising.
Take care
David
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
China emerges as a world leader in cleaner coal technology
By Keith Bradsher
The New York Times Media Group
1125 words
12 May 2009
2R
17
