China Notes
Energy:
- Cunningham lists three prominent challenges facing China in coming years: dependence on imported oil, rising ratio of energy consumption to GDP, and environmental degradation (Fewsmith 246). While all of these issues are in one way or another being discussed by China's policy makers, they are far behind the U.S. in amending their policies for the better. For example, though China's energy bureau has doubled their staff from 50 to 112, this number is still minuscule compared to the US Department of Energy's 14,713 staff members.
- China has replaced the United states in its position of the world's largest energy producer. WIth that being said, Cunningham notes that "China's self-sufficiency is high relative to that of large developed economies, such as the United States...but also high relative to large developing countries, such as India" (Cunningham, 223-224). The increase in the energy system has been caused by an increased production of coal and electric power. Several refer to China as a "sinner of the energy world" (Cunningham, 225), because they have risen global commodity prices with their large consumption of energy. I say that we should be both impressed and worried about China's energy governance. One, since China has been shifted from the largest producer of manufactured goods and natural resources to the largest consumer of the resources to for industrial growth, could that slow down economic and industrial growths in other countries? China's production of green house gas has also been a huge factor in the degradation of the environment. It is estimated that "China will produce well over one-quarter of world carbon dioxide emissions through 2030...United States will contribute less than 20 percent" (Cunningham, 252). Although, we should be impressed with how quickly China was able to increase their self-sufficiency, production, and consumption of energy resources, there are consequences that follow.
-China is the sinner of the energy
- Cunningham lists three prominent challenges facing China in coming years: dependence on imported oil, rising ratio of energy consumption to GDP, and environmental degradation (Fewsmith 246). While all of these issues are in one way or another being discussed by China's policy makers, they are far behind the U.S. in amending their policies for the better. For example, though China's energy bureau has doubled their staff from 50 to 112, this number is still minuscule compared to the US Department of Energy's 14,713 staff members.
- China has replaced the United states in its position of the world's largest energy producer. WIth that being said, Cunningham notes that "China's self-sufficiency is high relative to that of large developed economies, such as the United States...but also high relative to large developing countries, such as India" (Cunningham, 223-224). The increase in the energy system has been caused by an increased production of coal and electric power. Several refer to China as a "sinner of the energy world" (Cunningham, 225), because they have risen global commodity prices with their large consumption of energy. I say that we should be both impressed and worried about China's energy governance. One, since China has been shifted from the largest producer of manufactured goods and natural resources to the largest consumer of the resources to for industrial growth, could that slow down economic and industrial growths in other countries? China's production of green house gas has also been a huge factor in the degradation of the environment. It is estimated that "China will produce well over one-quarter of world carbon dioxide emissions through 2030...United States will contribute less than 20 percent" (Cunningham, 252). Although, we should be impressed with how quickly China was able to increase their self-sufficiency, production, and consumption of energy resources, there are consequences that follow.
-China is the sinner of the energy