Surprise U.S.-China climate deal reverberates north and south

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
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Oh boy.

Looks like I was wrong.

China Vows To Begin Aggressively Falsifying Air Pollution Numbers


BEIJING—Acknowledging the industrialized nation’s role in global climate change, China reportedly reached a landmark agreement with the United States Wednesday, pledging to significantly increase the rate at which it falsifies air pollution data over the next 15 years. “As the world’s leading manufacturer and a rising global economy, we consider it our responsibility to begin taking aggressive measures to fabricate pollution statistics and openly misinform the rest of the world about our level of carbon emissions,” said Chinese president Xi Jinping during a joint press conference with U.S. president Barack Obama, noting that, while China has already taken steps to misrepresent its air quality, it will steadily expand its current deception and begin distorting data in a variety of new sectors, such as grossly overstating its level of investment in solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. “China is strongly committed to the goal of claiming its greenhouse gas output has been cut in half by 2030. We will work tirelessly to exaggerate, manipulate, and in many cases flat-out lie about the amount of pollutants Chinese factories and energy plants release into the atmosphere. That is our unwavering pledge.” At press time, Chinese officials announced that the country had already met its goal.
 

waldo

House Member
Oct 19, 2009
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China has pledged!


do you have reason to ignore... deny... the actions China has been taking to shift to renewable, to shift to nuclear, to shift to more effiient coal, etc.? That's all been done on China's own volition... why would you presume China would enter into an agreement, one so significantly presented to the world... and then open themselves up to world criticism? Why even bother going through the motions?
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
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If it is too late with current levels......how will increasing them further before stabilising help? Sure stopping at twice today's emissions is better than hitting four or six times as much but again, you'll have to really dumb down what you see here as good news in order for me to understand it.

China wants to be loved... they really do. They care.
 

grainfedpraiboy

Electoral Member
Mar 15, 2009
715
1
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Alberta The Last Best West
What I'm really curious about is what are the greenies gonna do when/if China doesn't comply.

Hopefully, Suzuki and his ilk will organize a mass protest and travel to China to picket the power plants, gvt buildings, etc... I hear that Tienanmen Square is a great place to get this done

This isn't about left vs right and the one who yells, threatens or mocks the loudest and sways public opinion to their side wins. We have a problem we are causing as a species that we need to address.
 

Tecumsehsbones

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 18, 2013
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This isn't about left vs right and the one who yells, threatens or mocks the loudest and sways public opinion to their side wins.
Umm. . . yeah, it is.

We have a problem we are causing as a species that we need to address.
We have partial, conflicting data and models that have thus far completely failed to accurately predict events.

To quote the immortal Heinlein, "Before acting, think. Before thinking, gather data."
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
44,168
96
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USA
do you have reason to ignore... deny... the actions China has been taking to shift to renewable, to shift to nuclear, to shift to more effiient coal, etc.? That's all been done on China's own volition... why would you presume China would enter into an agreement, one so significantly presented to the world... and then open themselves up to world criticism? Why even bother going through the motions?

An agreement that means nothing and is non-binding... why wouldn't they! Especially if it weakens the west.

Open themselves up for world criticism! Don't make me ROFL again. They could give two bleeps what the world thinks. Never did... never will. The world is toothless.

Any shifts China does is for the betterment of the PRC... nothing more.
 

waldo

House Member
Oct 19, 2009
3,042
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If it is too late with current levels......how will increasing them further before stabilising help? Sure stopping at twice today's emissions is better than hitting four or six times as much but again, you'll have to really dumb down what you see here as good news in order for me to understand it.

how is it too late at current levels? Certainly, there is a large contingent of scientists that believe there's no way the 2°C target can be met... that we've already passed it in terms of inaction. This doesn't deflect from any emission reductions that can be delivered. Given the simple fact that even stabilization means nothing in terms of the already accumulated atmospheric levels (and the associated residency time for that accumulation), emission reduction levels of today... will reflect on the world's next generations.
 

grainfedpraiboy

Electoral Member
Mar 15, 2009
715
1
18
Alberta The Last Best West
Green delusions are a big problem indeed.

The biggest delusion is the perception by some that there is no problem.

The amount of scientific data from paid professional researchers along with empirical evidence as presented by farmers, ranchers, trappers, fishermen etc that needs to be outright ignored is staggering and I just don't get why otherwise fairly educated and rational people can be so politically committed they are quick to dismiss a body of evidence that doesn't get much more conclusive.

I mean, there is less evidence that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer than our activities are affecting the climate yet only the most flaky would consider giving children tobacco.

It is possible to be both an environmentalist and a conservative.
 

waldo

House Member
Oct 19, 2009
3,042
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An agreement that means nothing and is non-binding... why wouldn't they! Especially if it weakens the west.

Open themselves up for world criticism! Don't make me ROFL again. They could give two bleeps what the world thinks. Never did... never will. The world is toothless.

Any shifts China does is for the betterment of the PRC... nothing more.

apparently, you have not been privy to the 'awakening China'... the China of today, is not your father's, is not your grandfather's, China. I wonder why world governments are so keen to trade with China... and how China is so keen to have world governments entertain it's want/desires. All of which, of course, presumes upon the world accepting to... an acceptable image/perception of China.
 

grainfedpraiboy

Electoral Member
Mar 15, 2009
715
1
18
Alberta The Last Best West
To quote the immortal Heinlein, "Before acting, think. Before thinking, gather data."

Jesus Christ.....how much more evidence to support the fact of anthropogenic climate change is needed to sway a mental heavy weight such as yourself? If 98% of the world's scientists agreed with you instead of 97% is that the tipping point?

"We are all born ignorant but one must work hard to remain stupid." - Ben Franklin