Watching the 10 o’clock news tonight (in my dressing gown), a BBC report said China is opening two new coal power stations every week – the equivalent in carbon emission of two-million cars.
The report said a Dutch think tank now believes the country could be the biggest polluter in the world, overtaking the US.
John Ashton, a UK envoy, said the surge in power stations was to meet the growing demand for goods and a better lifestyle And a large part of that demand is coming from Europe and the US for cheap products.
A Chinese diplomat pointed out that the country’s politicians were trying to raise the standard of life for the population. More than 200 million of China’s 1.3bn people live on less than a dollar a day (according to the World Bank).
Mr Ashton added that if any talks were to take place with China on cutting carbon, the UK would have ensure its policies were a good example to the rest of the world.