Politics
Climate change: Attacking China isn't constructive, says Greenpeace
Nusa Dua, Bali, 4 Dec. (AKI) - The environmental group Greenpeace says that attacking China on its poor record on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming will not help tackle climate change.
"To strictly criticise China is not going to lead anywhere and could be quite destructive with regards to the negotiations here in Bali," said Yang Ailun, Greenpeace China Climate and Energy Campaign Manager in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Yang was speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Her comments come as Canada and Japan called on "all the countries to do their part to fight global warming" - a call which Beijing has viewed as criticism. China is the second most polluting country in the world. However as a developing country, it is exempt from the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol binds 36 rich nations to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12 in a bid to curb droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising seas.
Yang said that part of the criticism is justified but she also stressed that the world has not fully appreciated the good will that Beijing has shown in the past few years.
"There is no doubt that more can and must be done and that Beijing must improve its energy efficiency and sources of alternative energy," she said.
Yang said that China wastes a lot of energy.
"Basically, China needs to drastically cut the amount of energy it uses for every million dollars of its Gross Domestic Product," she said.
Turning to alternative energy sources, Yang said that 70 percent of the Chinese economy is based on fossil fuels.
"It goes without saying that this is unsustainable," she said.
The Greenpeace representative said that Beijing had however made important promises and that although they were difficult to keep, it demonstrated a certain willingness and awareness.
At the end of 2005, China promised to improve its energy efficiency by 10 percent by 2010 and to develop alternative energy sources to meet 15 percent of national demand by 2015.
"These are relevant commitments but nobody seems to be aware of them here," she said.
"To strictly criticise China is not going to lead anywhere and could be quite destructive with regards to the negotiations here in Bali," said Yang Ailun, Greenpeace China Climate and Energy Campaign Manager in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Yang was speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Her comments come as Canada and Japan called on "all the countries to do their part to fight global warming" - a call which Beijing has viewed as criticism. China is the second most polluting country in the world. However as a developing country, it is exempt from the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol binds 36 rich nations to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12 in a bid to curb droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising seas.
Yang said that part of the criticism is justified but she also stressed that the world has not fully appreciated the good will that Beijing has shown in the past few years.
"There is no doubt that more can and must be done and that Beijing must improve its energy efficiency and sources of alternative energy," she said.
Yang said that China wastes a lot of energy.
"Basically, China needs to drastically cut the amount of energy it uses for every million dollars of its Gross Domestic Product," she said.
Turning to alternative energy sources, Yang said that 70 percent of the Chinese economy is based on fossil fuels.
"It goes without saying that this is unsustainable," she said.
The Greenpeace representative said that Beijing had however made important promises and that although they were difficult to keep, it demonstrated a certain willingness and awareness.
At the end of 2005, China promised to improve its energy efficiency by 10 percent by 2010 and to develop alternative energy sources to meet 15 percent of national demand by 2015.
"These are relevant commitments but nobody seems to be aware of them here," she said.
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