Climate change in China
Encyclopedia
Climate change
in China is a contentious issue since it is not required to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol
yet it is responsible for one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas
emissions.
The People's Republic of China is an active participant in the climate change
talks and other multilateral environmental negotiations, and claims to take environmental challenges seriously but is pushing for the developed world to help developing countries
to a greater extent. It is a signatory to the Basel Convention
governing the transport and disposal of hazardous waste
and the Montreal Protocol for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Kyoto Protocol
, although China is not required to reduce its carbon emissions under the terms of the present agreement. On 19 June 2007, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
announced, on the basis of an analysis of fossil fuel
consumption (including especially the coal power plants) and cement production data, that China surpassed the United States as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide
, putting out 6,200 million tons, in comparison with America's 5,800 million.
China can suffer some of the effects of global warming
, including sea level rise, glacier retreat
and air pollution.
. In the cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007 China was second.
According to data from the US Energy Information Administration China was the top emitter by fossil fuels CO2 in 2009 China
: 7,710 million tonnes (mt) (25.4%) ahead of US
: 5,420 mt (17.8%), India: 5.3%, Russia
: 5.2% and Japan: 3.6%. China was also the top emitter of all greenhouse gas emissions including building and deforestation in 2005: China: 7,220 mt (16.4%), US: 6,930 mt (15.7%), 3. Brazil 6.5%, 4. Indonesia: 4.6%, 5. Russia 4.6%, 6. India 4.2%, 7. Japan 3.1%, 8. Germany 2.3%, 9. Canada 1.8%, and 10. Mexico 1.6%.
In the cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007 the top emittors were: 1. US 28.8% 2. China: 9.0%, 3. Russia 8.0%, 4. Germany 6.9%, 5. UK 5.8%, 6. Japan 3.9 %, 7. France 2.8%, 8. India 2.4%, 9. Canada 2.2% and 10. Ukraine 2.2%.
The carbon dioxide emissions per capita in China
were 5.83 t/capita (with 80th top position) slightly higher than e.g. in Sweden
5.58 t/capita.
(2007) from 1900 to 2005 precipitation has declined in parts of southern Asia. By the 2050s freshwater availability including large river basins is projected to decrease in Asian regions. Coastal areas, specially the delta areas in Asia are projected to have increased flooding risk. Floods and droughts are expected to increase health concerns: diseases and mortality.
, carbon dioxide
(CO2)
Premier Wen Jiabao
has promised to use an “iron hand” in the 2010 summer to make his nation more energy efficient
. China has surpassed the rest of the world as the biggest investor in wind turbine
s and other renewable energy
technology. And it has dictated tough new energy standards for lighting and gas kilometrage for cars.
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
in China is a contentious issue since it is not required to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
yet it is responsible for one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions.
The People's Republic of China is an active participant in the climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
talks and other multilateral environmental negotiations, and claims to take environmental challenges seriously but is pushing for the developed world to help developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
to a greater extent. It is a signatory to the Basel Convention
Basel Convention
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of...
governing the transport and disposal of hazardous waste
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
and the Montreal Protocol for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
, although China is not required to reduce its carbon emissions under the terms of the present agreement. On 19 June 2007, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency is a Dutch research institute that advises the Dutch government on environmental policy and regional planning issues. The research fields include sustainable development, energy and climate change, biodiversity, transport, land use, and air quality...
announced, on the basis of an analysis of fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
consumption (including especially the coal power plants) and cement production data, that China surpassed the United States as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
, putting out 6,200 million tons, in comparison with America's 5,800 million.
China can suffer some of the effects of global warming
Effects of global warming
This article is about the effects of global warming and climate change. The effects, or impacts, of climate change may be physical, ecological, social or economic. Evidence of observed climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the...
, including sea level rise, glacier retreat
Glacier retreat
Glacier retreat or glacial retreat is discussed in several articles, depending on the time frame of interest, and whether the climatological process or individual glaciers are being considered. Articles on these topics include:...
and air pollution.
Contribution
In 2009 China was the top emitter by fossil fuels CO2. In 2005 China was the top emitter by all greenhouse gas emissions including construction and deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
. In the cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007 China was second.
According to data from the US Energy Information Administration China was the top emitter by fossil fuels CO2 in 2009 China
Climate change in China
Climate change in China is a contentious issue since it is not required to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol yet it is responsible for one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions....
: 7,710 million tonnes (mt) (25.4%) ahead of US
Climate change in the United States
There is an international interest in issues surrounding global warming in the United States due to the U.S. position in world affairs and the U.S.'s high level of greenhouse gas emissions per capita.-Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States:...
: 5,420 mt (17.8%), India: 5.3%, Russia
Climate change in Russia
Climate change in Russia describes the global warming related issues in Russia. This includes the climate politics, contribution in the global warming and the influence of the global warming in Russia. In 2009 Russia was ready to decline emissions 20-25 % from 1990 level to 2020.-Kyoto...
: 5.2% and Japan: 3.6%. China was also the top emitter of all greenhouse gas emissions including building and deforestation in 2005: China: 7,220 mt (16.4%), US: 6,930 mt (15.7%), 3. Brazil 6.5%, 4. Indonesia: 4.6%, 5. Russia 4.6%, 6. India 4.2%, 7. Japan 3.1%, 8. Germany 2.3%, 9. Canada 1.8%, and 10. Mexico 1.6%.
In the cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007 the top emittors were: 1. US 28.8% 2. China: 9.0%, 3. Russia 8.0%, 4. Germany 6.9%, 5. UK 5.8%, 6. Japan 3.9 %, 7. France 2.8%, 8. India 2.4%, 9. Canada 2.2% and 10. Ukraine 2.2%.
The carbon dioxide emissions per capita in China
Climate change in China
Climate change in China is a contentious issue since it is not required to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol yet it is responsible for one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions....
were 5.83 t/capita (with 80th top position) slightly higher than e.g. in Sweden
Climate change in Sweden
The issue of climate change has received significant public and political attention in Sweden and the mitigation of its effects has been high on the agenda of the two latest Governments of Sweden, the previous Cabinet of Göran Persson and the current Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt...
5.58 t/capita.
Cement
According to the Dutch environmental research organization PBL cement production is a large source of carbon dioxide emissions in China. In 2008 China produced 51 % of the world’s cement which made it as the biggest emittor of CO2 in 2008.Coal
China is the largest consumer of coal in the world: in 2009 18,449 TWh of the world total 39,340 TWh.IPCC
According to IPCCIPCC
IPCC may refer to:*Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the United Nations*Independent Police Complaints Commission, of England and Wales*Irish Peatland Conservation Council...
(2007) from 1900 to 2005 precipitation has declined in parts of southern Asia. By the 2050s freshwater availability including large river basins is projected to decrease in Asian regions. Coastal areas, specially the delta areas in Asia are projected to have increased flooding risk. Floods and droughts are expected to increase health concerns: diseases and mortality.
Climate change mitigation
Both internationally and within the People's Republic of China, there has been an ongoing debate over China's responsibilities, particularly since 2006, when China surpassed the US as the country with the highest emissions rate for the main atmospheric gas in global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
(CO2)
Premier Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
has promised to use an “iron hand” in the 2010 summer to make his nation more energy efficient
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
. China has surpassed the rest of the world as the biggest investor in wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s and other renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
technology. And it has dictated tough new energy standards for lighting and gas kilometrage for cars.
See also
- Politics of global warmingPolitics of global warmingThe politics of global warming have involved corporate lobbying, funding of special interest groups and public relations campaigns by the oil and coal industries which have affected policy decisions and legislation worldwide...
- Chinese national carbon trading schemeChinese national carbon trading schemeThe Chinese national carbon trading scheme was announced in November 2008 by the national government to enforce a compulsory carbon trading scheme across the country's provinces as part of its strategy to create a "low carbon civilisation"....
- Scientific Development ConceptScientific Development ConceptThe scientific development concept, sometimes translated as the scientific development perspective, is the current official guiding socio-economic ideology of the Communist Party of China incorporating sustainable development, social welfare, a humanistic society, increased democracy, and,...
- Coal power in ChinaCoal power in ChinaThe People's Republic of China is the largest consumer of coal in the world, and is about to become the largest user of coal-derived electricity, generating 1.95 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, or 68.7% of its electricity from coal as of 2006...
- Environment of ChinaEnvironment of ChinaThe environment in the People's Republic of China has traditionally been neglected as the country concentrates on its rise as an economic power. Chasing the political gains of economic development, local officials in China often overlook environmental pollution, worker safety and public health...
- Solar power in ChinaSolar power in ChinaSolar power in the People's Republic of China is one of the biggest industries in mainland China. China has over 400 photovoltaic companies and produces approximately 23% of the photovoltaic products worldwide. In 2007 China produced 1700 MW of solar panels, nearly half of the world production of...
- China Carbon ForumChina Carbon ForumChina Carbon Forum is a non-profit organisation which aims to facilitate stakeholder dialogue in the climate change sector in the People’s Republic of China , including environmental policy and the renewables, clean tech and Clean Development Mechanism markets.CCF organizes events, including...
- Tianjin Climate ExchangeTianjin Climate ExchangeTianjin Climate Exchange is a domestic carbon market cap-and-trade scheme exchange. Jeff Huang is assistant chairman of Tianjin Climate Exchange and vice-president of Chicago Climate Exchange....
- China Beijing Environmental ExchangeChina Beijing Environmental ExchangeChina Beijing Environmental Exchange is a corporate domestic and international environmental equity public trading platform initiated by the China Beijing Equity Exchange and authorized by the Beijing municipal government....