China ‘emitting more CO2 than US’

China is now the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), surpassing America for the first time, according to new research.

Emissions from the Far East country, which is building around two power stations a month, passed those of the US by 8% in 2006, preliminary estimates by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency stated.

Greenpeace UK said responsibility for the country’s soaring emissions lay not just in Beijing but also in Washington, Brussels and Tokyo as the West had moved its manufacturing base to China.

John Ashton, a leading climate change official from the Foreign Office, said developed nations needed to convince the Far East country that it did not have to make a choice between “prosperity and protecting the climate”.

Mr Ashton, speaking to the BBC following a recent trip to China, said: “We need to convince China that they don’t have to make a choice between prosperity and protecting the climate. We need to help them towards a low-carbon future.

“There is also a moral case. Most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been put there by developing countries without the constraint of having to worry about the climate. That means we should bear the leading edge of responsibility.”

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said: “China’s rocketing carbon dioxide emissions are a cause for global concern.

“But this must not be an excuse for inaction in other countries. The UK and the rest of the developed world have a crucial leadership role to play in cutting their pollution and setting an example for developing countries to follow.

“This is why the UK Government’s proposed new law on climate change must be strengthened to ensure that our emissions are cut by at least 3% every year.

“It must also be remembered that each Chinese citizen is responsible for much less carbon emissions than Europeans. Preaching to them about cutting pollution won’t work while western countries are still increasing theirs.”

http://www.fco.gov.uk/