Hong Kong – The United States, as the permanent villain to "progressives" all over the world, is as usual the prime target in the latter’s campaign against global warming. China, second to the U.S. in carbon dioxide emissions and home to 20 of the world's 30 most polluted cities according to the World Bank, seems to be getting off the hook.
Interestingly, Beijing and Washington, increasingly drifting apart from mutual distrust, may find common ground on this issue. Commenting on the United Nations Security Council debate on climate change, China's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Liu Zhenmin said, "Developing countries believe that neither has the Security Council the professional competence...nor is it the right decision-making place for extensive participation leading up to widely acceptable proposals." "In our view, discussions at this meeting constitute nothing but an exception, with neither resulting documents nor follow-up actions," he added.
I’m afraid the current leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, certainly smart enough to recognize the serious challenge that environmental problems pose, won't be able to do much about it. The ultimate priority for the regime is domestic stability and the recipe is economic development. Since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, the unwritten social "contract" between the regime and the Chinese people has been a trade-off: keep your head down and we will make you rich. The Politburo is counting on the sustained economic growth to maintain its monopoly on political power. The choice between holding onto power and a devastated environment is a no brainer.
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