Could China and USA try to out-green each other?
Posted by Yael Rosenfeld on 24/06/10 00:00 AM
We’ve been running a great series of events with the IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) and Christian Aid, under the heading A Climate of Politics. The latest intriguing discussions were on how to get China and the USA fully onboard with global climate action.
China and the US are together responsible for almost half of global carbon emissions – so it’s obvious why it’s so important to get both of them engaged in tackling climate change.
During the US-themed discussion in our Climate of Politics series, Greg Barker, the UK’s Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, explained what he thought are the major barriers to the US passing a comprehensive climate change bill.
One problem seems to be the lack of a consistent champion for the climate change cause. Ex-Democratic Vice President Al Gore (who made the film An Inconvenient Truth) was mentioned as a former ‘champion’, though perhaps he doesn’t have wide-enough backing or the influence he once had.
The publicity over last year’s leaked emails from University of East Anglia climate scientists had a disproportionate impact in the USA. Another difficulty is the ongoing political divide over Obama’s healthcare bill, which has made it less likely we’ll see cross-party cooperation on an energy bill.
There are positive opportunities though, as Greg Barker pointed out. For example, the new public mood following the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico; and the potential economic benefits from a green economy.
Michael Shellenberger, of the Breakthrough Institute in California, took part via a video link (saving about two tonnes of CO2 emissions!). He suggested the way forward is to focus on energy security rather than carbon pricing. He felt competition with China would lead to a more engaged attitude from the USA.
Andrew Light, from the Center for American Progress, emphasised his belief that there is a chance to get the energy bill passed in the senate. But Alex Evans, from NY University, argued that since there is little political space for action, the real change will come only once the impacts of climate change are felt more obviously.
China’s green growth
In our China debate, Jonathan Fenby, head of China research at Trusted Sources, and Isabel Hilton, editor of China Dialogue, discussed what China really wants.
It’s clear that China’s first priority is economic growth, but the Chinese government is aware that their growth is and will continue to be hampered by the environmental impact of rapid and unsustainable development.
China is keen to move up the ‘technology chain’, and sees a chance to take a lead in the area of green technology, where there’s not much established competition so far.
And this is how I could see the US and China getting onboard – both competing over who will lead the world in developing green and innovative technologies to de-carbonise our global economy.
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