One-third of China's carbon emissions tied to exports

One-third of China's carbon emissions come from manufacturing electronics and other goods that are then exported worldwide, according to a July report in the journal Energy Policy.

The findings come from researchers led by Christopher Weber, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Researchers measured 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide resulting from China's exporting industries in 2005. That rose from 760 million tons in 2002 and from 230 million tons in 1987, based on an analysis of economic and emissions reports from China.

In that time, carbon emissions from making electronics for export rose from 13 percent to 22 percent, according to a New Scientist report about the study.

China's contribution to climate change has been in the spotlight this summer for its attempts to clean up pollution in Beijing before next month's Olympic Games.

In June, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency found that China beat the United States in 2007 for the first time as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Reports often blame China's booming economic growth and reliance on coal-fired power plants for its increased emissions.

However, the Chinese government has argued that nations importing its products are also responsible for global warming that may result from manufacturing the goods.

[allstar919]

I don't know how this might surprise anyone. We all know China exports a lot. Manufacturing takes energy.

And the Chinese government is right. How could we blame them entirely? We are the ones buying Chinese goods.

[William Crow]

The US is the largest exporting nation. Other nations should be responsible for our carbon!
But then again...the man-made global warming thing is a hoax.

[georgiarat]

So where is Al "Do as I say and not as I do" on this one. He can go around the world criticizing the US but China has to be forgiven. May the reason be that China is not afraid of him or the liberal press and would expose Gore's shakedown of US industries?

And of course somehow I knew that it would become the responsibility of this country that China is producing so many carbon emissions. It is always the fault of the US! Not. Does that mean that any plant here that manufactures for export need not comply with emissions limits?

[William Crow]

Oh...wait, I get it. If we only had one world government we wouldn't be squabbling about who is responsible (for emissions that don't warm the earth anyway.).
But...as a proxy for the move toward efficiency and increased energy independence the global warming religion, though bogus, works well, if border considerations are maintained. I find it amazing that people actually believe the lies.

[SteamChip]

China has the benefit of over a hundred years of mistakes by industrializing Western nations to look at and study. Nevertheless, until the US can prevent the 1930?s Midwestern dustbowl or stop Exxon from crashing its boat in Alaska, China should get a free pass.

[md_scotty]

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