Selfish Environmental Policy

Following China's "indefinite" postponment of a climate change action plan on Monday, the international community has made bold criticisms. However, China is proving inflexible in its environmental decisions and refuses to seriously acknowledge it contribution to global warming, instead blaming it on the west. They cite statistics demonstrating their contribution of less than 8 per cent of the total emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use since 1850, while America is responsible for 29 per cent and Western Europe for 27 per cent. They also argue that while China will soon overtake the US as the top emitter of CO2 (this year according to the International Energy Agency), its comparative emissions for the average person are far below those of wealthy countries. UN figures show that the average US citizen is responsible for at least 20 metric tonnes of CO2 pollution each year, compared with China's 3.2 tonnes and the world average of 3.7. Beijing has also made the point that much of the growth in China's emissions is to produce goods exported to the West Link .
This defiant postion however, is irresponsible and reflects poorly on a nation that is struggling to create an improved international image. If China is to become the regional leader of Asia and a dominant international actor, they must revise their environmental policy, setting a better example for following nations.