China set to confront climate change, defend growth - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

China set to confront climate change, defend growth

By Chris Buckley
45 minutes ago

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first plan for climate change will
seek to fortify the country against damage from global warming
but also against international pressure to cut greenhouse gas
pollution that Beijing calls the cost of growth.

China will unveil its national plan on Monday, two days before
President Hu Jintao attends a meeting of Group of Eight leaders
in Germany at which global warming will feature.

Beijing has already signaled that the plan is meant as a defensive
policy wall to limit damage from rising seas, worsening droughts
and melting glaciers, but also to protect ambitious growth goals
from possible greenhouse gas quotas that it fears would cripple
development.

-snip-

The dilemma facing politicians is that China is both a massive
and growing greenhouse gas polluter and a populous, largely
poor country seeking to rise to the ranks of wealthy world
powers.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070603/wl_nm/china_environment_climate_dc_1

[AdHocSolver]

1. The growth that the Chinese rulers want to defend is there own wealth and power.

The pollution is becoming so bad in China that in many areas the people are getting sick and dying. If the Chinese rulers want to make their country a wealthy world power, let them start by paying their workers a living wage. China wants to make China a world power in the same way that the Pharoahs made ancient Egypt a world power: exploit their people to build monuments to themselves.

[David__77]

2. Kinda like how America got powerful???

I just hope that no one here has any illusions about the rise of America.

[brokensymmetry]

3. It's a lot like watching a train wreck.

Everyone knows there is a problem. No one
wants to pay the price for fixing it - everyone
wants someone else to do so.

So, nothing is done. And nothing will be done.

Until it's way too late. Maybe it's already too late.