Climate Change

            Many countries and world leaders, including Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, and Narendra Modi, will be meeting in Paris this month and next to discuss climate change. Included in the talks are goals aimed at reaching an agreement about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An increasingly important country in the talk is China. China is the leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, and it was recently reported that it is burning far more coal than previously thought (according to a New York Times article “China Burns Much More Coal Than Reported, Complicating Climate Talks”). The fact that false data was reported and that China is emitting far more than other nations, including the U.S., are two different but important components of the issue. President Obama and other countries involved in the talks will most likely have to confront this issue. Climate change is a contentious enough topic and this will only complicate the negotiations and further dealings with China.

            Already number one in the world for emitting greenhouse gas, this new data pushes China even further ahead. But is it really a surprise that China is burning so much coal and other fossil fuels? China is the largest manufacturing country and that is due in part to how much the U.S and other countries are relying on them to produce much of their products. The West has pushed the task of cheaply manufacturing goods onto China, and are the ones who consume most of the goods produced. This isn’t only a Chinese problem, our reliance on Chinese manufacturing has majorly increased the emissions put out.

It is not fair for the U.S or other countries who contribute to this issue to put blame solely on the Chinese. A lot of China’s economy still relies on producing goods for the rest of the world, and much of the world still wants China’s cheap manufacturing labor. It’s a reciprocal relationship that will require all parties to cooperate to come to a resolution. A solution will be difficult to come to, however. Most likely, China will not want to close down its coal power plants or factories in favor of some cleaner (and more expensive) energy alternatives. And with how much gas is being emitted, the solution now should focus on pollution control rather than pollution prevention. While pollution cannot be stopped, it can be managed. There should be methods implemented from other countries, such as the U.S, to monitor the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that are being released. A system to monitor it could help keep track of the situation to keep it from getting out of hand too late.

The U.S could also provide incentives to businesses who have factories in the U.S and China to reduce their carbon emissions. Many could argue that we (Americans) will not be the primary beneficiaries of the reduction, but that is a pretty shortsighted and selfish argument. If the U.S implements policies like this, it wouldn’t be impossible for other countries to be pressured into doing the same. The U.S, while trying to do its part, should also call on Chinese leaders to find ways to curb the amount emitted. Pollution and climate change is not just China’s problem, it is a problem that requires all involved countries to do their part.

            The other part to this problem is figuring out how to prevent China, and other nations, from not being completely honest when they are reporting their data. This is an important issue because when negotiations are going on and goals are being set, inaccurate data can skew the process and prevent actual progress from being made. There should be methods implemented to verify China’s coal figures by other countries. This system would act like an extension from measuring the amount of gases released. By doing this, there can be comprehensive and accurate data that can aid in goal setting as well as negotiations instead of impeding on them. Combating this specific issue, however, and the challenge of the climate as a whole, requires cooperation from all the relevant nations.

Ann Nenoff