The Whole World in China's Hands

If the future of the planet depends upon China, then the environmental organizations working with China hold all of us in their hands. And please don't drop us. I've been meeting with many of them recently and have some uplifting news to report. Yes, there are lots of shocking statistics that strike fear in our green hearts. There are also wonderful people working long hours, and they have only just begun.

Why care about China?  Let's review the numbers.

China is now the largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution per year, surpassing the U.S. for the first time in 2006. And this only counts fossil fuel burning and cement production - not agriculture, deforestation, aviation or shipping.

America’s carbon-dioxide emissions would have been 30% higher in 2004 if we included the emissions of goods consumed here but produced in China. Extrapolating that statistic to 2007 imports yields the conclusion that US CO2 emissions would have been 49% higher in 2007 if Chinese goods were counted.

China has over 1.3 billion people, compared to 300 million in the U.S. That means that 1 in every 5 people on the planet currently resides in China. China is striving to move 500 million people from the country to cities for a total of 1 billion people in cities by 2030. This is a mass exodus with an expectation of an American-style lifestyle with electric gadgets, a car, the works. 

China is building 1-2 new coal-fired power plants per week.

One third of the smog we breathe in California is thought to come from China.

One quarter of China's people drink toxic water according to SEPA, and stories of cancer villages and polluted rivers are leaking out.

The U.S. trade deficit with China in 2007 (what we import/buy vs. what we export/sell) clocked in at $256 billion. It is startling to realize that this deficit was only $6 billion in 1989 and rose to $124 billion in 2003. Note that China joined the WTO in 2001 and created 50 so-called global corporate champions with a strategy to try to dominate world markets. And clearly it has worked.

The Chinese currency, the Yuan, is artificially kept 20% to 50% lower than its true market value, which makes its exports cheaper to buy. See point above.

China is now the world’s largest builder of dams in other countries such as the Sudan and Zambia in Africa. The China Exim Bank was willing to finance projects that no other bank would touch due to environmental and human rights issues. Last year, the China Exim Bank made $36 billion in loans, more than the World Bank. China is rapidly investing in oil, mining, and logging in environmentally-sensitive areas to gain access to resources for its global economic expansion.

Health issues have recently made headlines with the tainted pet food scare and the lead paint discovered in toys. Trader Joe's plans to phase out any single-ingredient food items sourced from mainland China by April 1, 2008 including garlic, ginger, and spinach.

The Beijing Olympics in 2008 are expected to be an opportunity for change.  Mia Farrow is calling for a boycott with her Save Darfur, Genocide Olympics campaign. Steven Spielberg just ceased all involvement in the Beijing Olympics because China has sold the Sudanese government weapons that are being used to commit crimes against humanity in Darfur. WildAid is raising awareness of tiger poaching in Asia and has produced excellent PSAs with celebrities and Olympians.

China has become the world's factory and consequently, the smokestack for the world. Made in China stickers are ubiquitous. Are we outsourcing our pollution to China?  China’s environmental problems can be partially linked to the consumption of cheap disposable goods made in China. American and multinational corporations outsourced manufacturing to China (where environmental controls were nonexistent), and now we have become appalled at the rising carbon dioxide from China’s smokestacks. We can’t have our Chinese cake and eat it CO2-free.

I have high hopes for Wal-Mart, which forced its vendors to manufacture in China because it was cheap, or else. With its new green agenda, Wal-Mart can hopefully encourage its vendors to produce products in a cleaner and greener way, or else.

Red Rays of Green Hope

JUCCCE: The Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy nonprofit is a network of US and Chinese leaders working to further renewable energy, energy efficiency, and environmental education in China. According to JUCCCE, the Chinese are recognizing the environmental problems and want and need our help. Look out for their promising Chinese Mayoral eco-training seminars and the JUCCCE China Clean Energy Forum in November 2008. Visit www.juccce.com  or www.give2asia.org

International Rivers: They work around the globe to safeguard clean rivers and human rights, and their Policy Director Peter Bosshard has been doing some groundbreaking work with China. See his recent editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle entitled We are all Chinese here. Visit www.internationalrivers.org

NRDC: The NRDC’s Partnership for the Earth has made China one of its cornerstone priorities for saving the planet. They have been helping Chinese officials craft clean energy policy in the areas of green buildings, clean power, and sustainable transportation. Visit NRDC China

Let's support these excellent organizations working to make a difference in China and thus, to combat climate change and pollution around the world.

It is comforting to know that the famous green architect Bill McDonough is working to help design seven new sustainable cities in China including solar power and farmland on roofs.

In the meantime, we can buy local. Buy vintage. Buy essential. Best of all, buy from companies that are socially and environmentally responsible regardless of their country of origin. Vote for the planet and for human rights with your dollars. If China holds the planet's future in its hands, then we hold the future of China - and therefore the planet – partially in our wallets.