Letter: 'After you' won't work for climate change
By Letters to the editor
To the Editor:
It used to be, and largely still is, considered an act of politeness to let others go first. In the context of climate change and emissions reductions, this might be described as a rationale for inertia. China and India are currently used to support that rationale. Although China tops the emitters list, followed by the USA and then India, both China and India are engaged in efforts that are not being acknowledged.
In a Dec. 2020 article from Reuters it is noted that China Energy will be investing US $3.6 billion for the development of an integrated energy system in Mongolia that will include wind and solar power.
Yes, coal fired power plants are still in that mix.
Complementing that is the Belt and Road initiative project that has been described in the Nov. 2020 article in The Energy Mix and would include several countries in Asia and some in Africa.
https://climatenewsnetwork.net/india-has-an-official-climate-change-of-heart/
From India there is the Dec. 2020 article from Climate Network News that describes some of the efforts being made to reach their Paris Agreement targets. India, it seems, is following China’s example even though it too will be an uphill climb.
Here in the West we should not confuse politeness with pathological inertia.
Ron Robinson, Nelson, BC
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