China and America's Intricate Relations

American critics of mandatory emission caps in the U.S. often point fingers at China, which will soon overtake America as the country to release the most greenhouse gases per year. However, some of China's leaders argue that America is responsible for many of the gases that China emits as well.

Yesterday, when speaking to a group of climate policy experts, Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong said that America and Europe's consumption of cheap Chinese merchandise greatly contributes to China’s emissions. "We are emitting greenhouse gas on your behalf," Zhou said in a speech sponsored by the World Environment Center. "We are polluting the air in China so you can enjoy the products we are making."

Meanwhile, the United States is importing something into China that is less tangible than clothes and toys: ideals about western wealth and the luxuries associated with it. The Worldwatch Institute reports that SUVs- which are widespread in the United States- are becoming increasingly popular amongst China’s wealthy. Last year, SUV sales went up by 58% from 2006 in China. This trend is in spite of the fact that SUVs emit far more greenhouse gases than smaller vehicles, and that recent studies show that only one percent of the air inhaled by 577 million urban Chinese meets the European Union’s air quality standards.

American politicians like John McCain maintain that America should only cap its pollution if China does the same. Ambassador Wenzhong argues that if China is to reduce its emissions, Americans will have to curb some of their own habits like buying masses of cheap Chinese products, and popularizing SUV’s. Otherwise, he argues, the pot won’t simply be calling the kettle black; it will be making the kettle blacker.

These opposing views illuminate the complex web of exchanges contributing to the mass of greenhouse gases that are threatening life on earth. If John Donne was correct to say that “No man is an island,” surely no country is an independent entity, bound as we are by the exchange of goods and ideas. Understanding the consequences of mass consumption and current ideals about wealth and luxury will perhaps be as important as carbon caps and taxes in lowering future greenhouse emissions.