This is the second installment of Earl’s China Energy Adventure.

 

Can you imagine getting everyone in the US to change their attitude about energy conservation and recycling? Can the government make it happen? It’s been said that democracy is the least efficient form of government and a dictatorship the most efficient. A one-party, communist government in China is not exactly a dictatorship but it’s a lot more efficient at implementing regulations and getting people to follow their mandates. I’m certainly not advocating this system but it is interesting to observe what they are doing about their energy demand and pollution. 

 

In the continuing saga of Earl’s Chinese Energy Adventure, Earl can’t go anywhere in China without continually seeing signs of green activity. I bought a few snacks and bottles of water (you still don’t want to drink tap water) from the local Carrefour store and had to buy the plastic bag to carry back to the hotel. I’ve heard that the plastic bags are going to be banned entirely very soon. There are billboards and signs on the sides of buses reminding people to conserve and recycle to improve their quality of life.

 

According to China Business Weekly, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is promoting a project to put 5,000 hybrids, 20,000 hybrid taxis, and 5,000 electric vehicles on the streets in 30 cities by 2012. Estimates are that the project will save 780M liters of gasoline avoid emission of 2.3M tons of carbon dioxide. A MOST representative stated that “the core aim of a low-carbon economy is to increase energy efficiency and change the structure of energy consumption”.

 

This low-carbon economy is already making progress in both primary cities like Beijing and secondary cities (not readily recognizable by westerners but big cities by our standards). More than half of the world’s population live in urban areas with these areas contributing to 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions it is especially important to make the cities greener. Mega cities like Beijing and Shanghai are showcasing their efforts at events like last year’s Olympic Games and Shanghai’s upcoming environmentally friendly World Expo 2010. 

China’s current air quality deserves the bad reputation it has gotten but, to be fair, the Chinese recognize the importance of cleaning up their act to the benefit of everyone. They've got a long way to go but Earl is impressed with the effort underway.