The Green Dragon
Posted by boatman on Nov 11, 2011 in Blog | 0 comments
Well – at last – we have joined a rather important dinner party. Next year Australia will become the 36th nation where some form of carbon pricing will be in effect now the carbon tax has become law.
At the end of the table is a rather
large Green Dragon – .. don’t worry she’s quite friendly. CHINA is the World’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases & emits 19 per cent of the worlds total.
Other nations have introduced a variety of schemes ranging from emissions trading in the European Union to a tax on coal in India.
AUSTRALIA – is the World’s 15th-largest emitter of greenhouse gases , 1.5 per cent of global total
While China has no scheme currently in effect, she plans to launch a pilot emissions trading schemes in six regions in 2 years and set up a nationwide trading platform in 4.
And she has already requirements for energy companies to have a minimum renewable energy component.
Half the wind turbines in the world are already turning in China.
Her solar modules made up 8% of the US market in 2008 – they are up to 50% now.
Researchers from Harvard and Tsinghua University have found that she could meet ALL of their electricity demands from wind power alone in 19 years time. Are you listening big Coal & Big Atom?!
Though in parallel, it is predicted in 9 years her water shortage will merit a world crisis alert. Over 300 million people in rural China have no clean water today.
Critical drinking water sources such as rivers and lakes have been increasingly threatened by industrial pollution, a clear sign that China’s booming economy comes with environmental costs and damage that are both incalculable and perhaps even irreversible.
The International Energy Agency have said the World is heading for irreversible climate change in only five years time & the world is effectively heading for disaster. If it continues with business as usual, then the world is hurtling towards a 6°C global warming scenario, and the runaway impacts of climate change.
A recent report featured a poll. “Are you worried about climate change?” The poll results showed that over 80% “No.” And why is that, if the problem is so grave?
The answer is simple. Not only do people not want to imagine such awful consequences, we simply can’t. When faced with horrible realities, like death and disaster, we deny them, put them out of our minds.
But there is hope – did you know that the president of China is a scientist? President Hu Jintao was trained as a hydraulic engineer – that’s engineer’s speak for water! Likewise his Premier, Wen Jiabao, is a geomechanical engineer. In fact, 8 out of China’s top 9 government officials are scientists. I believe there are 2 in the house of Representatives who have practised – & one in the House of Commons, 2 with experience in the US Congress.
Now NEWTON – who was one of the brighter poms. Wrote his 3rd law – in his 20s! – which said THAT IF I STAMP on THE FLOOR – THUS!, THEN THE 20 ODD POUINDS I HIT THE FLOOR WITH – IS MIRRORED EXACTLY BY THE FLOOR hitting back ON MY FOOT – ONLY YOU DIDN’T SEE IT. – OTHERWISE I’D BE on my way TO GLASGOW!
THE SAME HAPPENS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE – WE DO SOMETHING – & WE GET A RESPONSE – ONLY THERE IS A 35 YEAR DELAY with the climate… SO THE STORMS & FLOODS & TEMPERATURE RISES WE ARE WITNESSING NOW, WERE CAUSED BY THINGS DONE IN 1976!
WELL THE CO2 IN THE AIR THEN WAS ABOUT 330 PARTS PER MILLION – ITS NOW ABOUT 390 & RISING…
- oh dear!
- Love that Dragon
Water boatman is a unit on the water, that takes in polluted or sea water, distills it & either stores the pure water – or pumps it ashore. Water boatman is a unit on the water, that takes in polluted or sea water, distills it & either stores the pure water – or pumps it ashore. 
