China is Not Leading the Way

China: the country that has become synonymous with destroying the environment for economic gain is now being seen as a global leader in curbing global warming. The mainstream media is claiming that China will lead the way toward a green future. Oh, really?

The country that in 2007 was launching two new coal-fired power stations per week? The largest carbon emitter in the world and the site of the  largest e-waste dump on the planet? The country where 760 000 people die of pollution-related ailments annually?

The belief that a sudden turnaround in Chinese environmental policy has occurred is a little naïve. Hu Jintao – the Chinese President – has promised to curb the growth in greenhouse gas emissions by a ‘notable margin’. So, China is promising to slow down growth of its current exorbitant emission statistics. As if that will ‘lead the way’ in reducing the effects of climate change. Not only is it wishful thinking to believe that China will suddenly go green, it is also a lie. China’s never-ending thirst for natural resources, energy and water is causing problems across the world, especially in Africa.

Jane Goodall, acclaimed Primatologist, said the following:

“These areas containing unlogged forests are very desirable to, particularly today, China, with China’s desperate effort for economic growth… Basically, they have almost exhausted their own supplies (of wood and minerals) so they go to Africa and offer large amounts of money or offer to build roads or make dams, in return for forest concessions or rights to minerals and oil.”

China’s rape of Africa’s resources is causing devastating effects on the natural habitat of our continent’s wildlife. Is this how China is ‘leading the way’ when it comes to the environment?

I was originally drawn to this topic because of South African entertainer Gareth Cliff’s blog post in support of China leading the way. He evidenced his claims that China was leading the way, by stating that the city of Beijing has restrictions on certain people driving through the use of a ‘car lottery’. Cliff says it as though China is the first country to implement such a restriction; when some European nations have actually been doing it for decades. He mentioned that ‘when the Chinese government decide to do something – it happens’; when in fact their government introduced a ‘No Car Day’ which was largely ignored by motorists. China – according to the Kyoto Treaty – doesn’t even have to reduce its carbon emission by 50% by 2050 because it is a developing nation.

China is leading the way towards climate change, not away from it. I can’t understand why educated people believe the opposite is true.