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Algunos podrían considerarlo un desenlace inesperado, pero China -hoy en día el mayor emisor de dióxido de carbono del mundo- se está perfilando como un líder global en materia de política climática en su intento por crear una economía más limpia y más eficiente. Por cierto, los esfuerzos de China para frenar la contaminación y la destrucción medioambiental, a la vez que adopta un modelo de crecimiento más sustentable, pueden ofrecer lecciones valiosas para los gobiernos de todo el mundo.

El primer paso hacia un crecimiento económico sustentable es reconocer, como lo han hecho los líderes de China, que la contaminación -generada en gran medida por centrales eléctricas a carbón- afecta profundamente la vida y el sustento de los ciudadanos, particularmente en ciudades importantes como Beijing y Shanghái.…  Seguir leyendo »

With the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf, talk has once again turned to clean energy. What few people appreciate is that the demand for everything from solar panels to energy-efficient light bulbs is already booming. Worldwide, $162 billion was spent in new clean-tech investments in 2009 alone.

The United States, with its expertise, capital and entrepreneurial spirit, is well positioned to dominate what could easily be the biggest market of the 21st century. But as the most recent delay over the Senate energy bill shows, the country is missing a key ingredient in shaping an effective clean-tech policy: the political will to encourage the innovation, manufacturing and investment necessary to bring these new technologies to market.…  Seguir leyendo »

Tema: El informe anual que publicó el pasado mes de noviembre la Agencia Internacional de la Energía y, sobre todo, algunos de los argumentos que ciertos países desarrollados emplearon durante la reciente Cumbre de Bali sobre el cambio climático han pretendido censurar, de manera más o menos explícita, a los dos grandes países emergentes asiáticos.

Resumen: Tanto en el informe de la AIE como en algunos argumentos esgrimidos durante la Cumbre de Bali, las dos grandes economías emergentes asiáticas (China e India) han sido prácticamente acusadas de ser co-responsables de los graves problemas energéticos y medioambientales del planeta. Esas acusaciones carecen de fundamento.…  Seguir leyendo »

China is about to emerge as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, a position the United States has held since 1890. Now is the time for China to take the lead in finding a way to reduce global emissions, which the United States has thus far failed to do. It should start by imposing a sizable tax on the carbon content of its fossil fuel consumption and by heading an effort among other major trading countries to do the same.

China would gain in several ways from implementing a substantial carbon tax. By reducing its fossil fuel consumption, China would prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens because of the short- and long-term consequences of air pollution from burning coal.…  Seguir leyendo »

Last month the International Energy Agency announced that China would probably surpass the United States as the world's largest contributor of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 2009, more than a full decade earlier than anticipated. This forecast could spur China to adopt tough new energy and environmental standards, but it probably won't. China has already embarked on a very different strategy to manage its environmental reputation: launching a political campaign that lays much of the blame for the country's mounting environmental problems squarely on the shoulders of foreigners and, in particular, multinational companies.

While still in its initial stages, the campaign has gained steam over the past month.…  Seguir leyendo »