Writing in the Belfast Telegraph, former Hong Kong-based journalist and Trusted Sources‘ China editor Jonathan Fenby takes on the argument, widespread after China’s recent climb to the top of the greenhouse gas pyramid, that Western economies bear responsibility for the country’s greenhouse emissions:
Proponents of Western guilt add that the developed countries should stump up to pay to clean up the People’s Republic, ignoring China’s considerable bankroll in the form of more than a trillion dollars in reserves, some of which could be diverted to environmental protection.
International co-operation is certainly necessary, but the prime responsibility for the ecological disaster – and for doing something about it – must lie with China, itself. It is not a new problem. Ten years ago, when editing The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, I ran two photographs on the front page. One showed the view across the harbour during Chinese New Year when factories across the border in Guangdong province were shut; the other was taken after work had resumed. The first showed a bright and sparkling view. In the second, you couldn’t see the other side. [Full Text]
