[Vision2020] Institute for Public Accuracy: China, U.S. and Global Warming‏

Sat Nov 21 15:33:21 PST 2009

"China pollutes the world more than the US not because of its proportion of
carbon emissions per person, but because it has made the unwise decision of
having a population of 1.4 billion people."
------------------

You do not have your facts correct, at least on the issue of CO2 pollution.
The US has polluted the atmosphere with far more CO2 in absolute amount than
China (close to 2.5 times as much from 1960-2005), despite China's huge
population, from 1960-2005 (or considering this issue from the beginning of
the industrial revolution).  China is increasing its CO2 emissions, and now
annually in absolute amount (not per capita) is close to or perhaps emitting
somewhat more than the US annual total. But it could be many decades
before China exceeds the US in absolute amounts of CO2 emissions over time,
assuming China increases its emissions dramatically and the US does
not.  But if global progress is made to reduce CO2 emissions, we can hope
that *China* *never achieves the irresponsible position of historically
emitting more CO2 into the atmosphere than the US.*

Consider the data offered at the climateprogress.org website, which is
common knowledge, accepted by anyone doing the most cursory research into
this issue, that up to this point in history, the United States' CO2 total
emissions are both the most in absolute amounts of any nation by a wide
margin, and considered per capita, are even more skewed towards US citizens
each being more responsible for CO2 induced climate change, than the
citizens of any major industrial nation on Earth:

http://climateprogress.org/2009/06/01/us-responsible-for-29-of-carbon-dioxide-emissions-over-past-150-years-triple-chinas-share/

 [image: cumulative-co2-emissions
Greenpeace]<http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/cumulative-co2-emissions.gif>

Here are some more quotable factoids from their report:

   - Historically, no nation has emitted more global warming pollution than
   the United States. From 1960-2005, the U.S. emitted 213,608 MtCO2, 26% of
   total global emissions. The next biggest polluter, China, emitted 88,643
   MtCO2 over the same time frame, 10.7% of global emissions.
   - *The U.S. also exceeded almost every other nation in per capita
   emissions*. Per capita, the U.S. emitted 720 tons of CO2 per person per
   year from 1960-2005. This is *more than ten times China’s per capita
   emissions* (68 tons of CO2) during the same period, and ninety times the
   per capita emissions of Kenya (7.7 tCO2).

------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
On Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 12:24 AM, Donovan Arnold <
donovanjarnold2008 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>   This is all political Hogwash.
>
> China pollutes the world more than the US not because of its proportion of
> carbon emissions per person, but because it has made the unwise decision of
> having a population of 1.4 billion people. Having that many people will
> pollute the world and deplete it of its resources much more quickly than 300
> million polluters in the US.
>
> What would the Earth rather have, a 100 people throw 10 lbs of trash into
> the ocean, or 700 people 5 lbs of trash. Per person doesn't matter, it
> matters how much trash because the Earth is a finite resource. It doesn't
> get bigger per person.
>
> Further, China produces about half the trash we throw out over here anyway.
> :P
>
> Your Friend,
> Donovan Arnold
>
> --- On *Fri, 11/20/09, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Vision2020] Institute for Public Accuracy: China, U.S. and Global
> Warming‏
> To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Date: Friday, November 20, 2009, 5:20 PM
>
>
>  http://accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=2127
>
> Institute for Public Accuracy
> 980 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
> (202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa at accuracy.org<http://us.mc447.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=ipa@accuracy.org>
> ___________________________________________________
>
> Wednesday, November 18, 2009
>
> China, U.S. and Global Warming
>
> *SIMONE LOVERA*<http://us.mc447.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=simone.lovera@globalforestcoalition.org>
> Based in Paraguay, Lovera is co-founder of the *Global Forest Coalition*<http://www.globalforestcoalition.org/>.
> She said today: "The U.S. per capita carbon dioxide emissions are so much
> higher than China's emissions. In 2005, the U.S. was nearly 23.5 while China
> is 5.5 [tons of CO2 per person per year]. It's inappropriate for the U.S. to
> be demanding that China reduce emissions unless you somehow argue that the
> U.S. has a right to pollute the rest of the planet and China doesn't. China
> actually showed real leadership in the voluntary commitments it made at the
> UN General Assembly meeting in September. I understand Obama has to deal
> with the U.S. Senate, but U.S. officials are actually obstructing progress
> at the international climate negotiations. The Europeans have agreed to a 20
> percent reduction -- the Scottish [government] agreed to 40 percent. The
> U.S. government is stopping these from being binding commitments. Meanwhile,
> studies are finding that 300,000 people are dying because of climate
> disruption; countries in the Pacific are on course to be under water."
>
> Lovera will be at the Copenhagen summit on climate change from December 5
> to 19.
>
> See: "*Global Warming Causes 300,000 Deaths a Year, Says Kofi Annan think
> tank: Climate change is greatest humanitarian challenge facing the world as
> heatwaves, floods and forest fires become more severe*<http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/29>"
>
>
> Lovera is also reachable via *Hallie Boas<http://us.mc447.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=hallie@globaljusticeecology.org>
> *.
>
> Boas is coordinator of *New Voices on Climate Change for the Global
> Justice Ecology Project* <http://globaljusticeecology.org/newvoices.php>and can connect media to individuals and groups working on global warming
> around the world..
>
>
> For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
> Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
> ------------------------------------------
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>
>
>
>
>
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