China Has Already Overtaken U.S. as Number One Polluter Says New Research

[This is a guest post by Meg Hamill who works at an environmental non-profit called LandPaths in partnership with the Sonoma County Open Space District.]

Until now, it has been internationally believed that the United States ranks number one, worldwide, as the country with the highest greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new report, to be published by the Journal of Environment Economics and Management next month, claims that China has already overtaken the United States as the world’s “biggest polluter.” While it was thought that China would overtake the U.S. in this regard very soon, this new research indicates that previous reports of China’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and that in all probability, emissions passed those of the U.S. in 2006-2007.

The team from the University of California that will publish the report, gathered their provincial-level data from the Chinese Environmental Protection Agency. The team readily admits that it isn’t possible to be exactly sure of the date when Chinese emissions surpassed U.S. emissions, as they are basing their study from 2004 data. Regardless, the team believes that projected greenhouse gas emissions in a future China have been radically underestimated. If the report is widely accepted and agreed upon, then this new data must be factored into any global climate change plan in which the Chinese play a part.

The research team offers that unless China makes drastic moves to cut their emissions, the increases in greenhouses gases in the nation will be much more significant than the simultaneous cuts being made by wealthy nations under the Kyoto Protocol.

While the Chinese Embassy in the UK has yet to comment on the report, Dr. Max Auffhammer, who led the research project, said that the team had already presented the information to a wide range of people, and no one has yet taken issue with the data.

Indeed even China will admit that when it comes to climate change, there is reason to be concerned about their own emissions. But still, China, and other developing nations stand firm that any cuts in greenhouse gases shouldn’t be concrete, but rather fluctuate with projected growth analysis.

Of course, this new data doesn’t really tell the whole story. Interestingly, the U.S. still maintains per capita emissions that are five-six times higher than China.

See Also: Most Chinese Say Pollution is a Big Problem and Should be Made a Top Priority

Photo from FreeFoto under a Creative Commons License

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