The boat you are in is filling up with water. While you are bailing, you notice that two other people in the boat are drilling holes in it!
On the subject of climate change, that analogy represents the U.S. bailing, while China is drilling.
If every human in the United States disappeared today, global emissions would drop less than 14 percent. China’s emissions are well more than double the second-place country in the world (us).
Go online and look at pictures of air pollution in China’s cities. Then think about how the media seems to only focus on what the U.S. needs to do to solve this global problem. As reported in The Columbian, last year China approved the construction of 168 new coal power plants.
A recent editorial in The Columbian asks if it is time to aggressively address climate change (In Our View, Aug. 16).
The answer is definitely yes. But if you don’t mention China when stating your concerns about climate change, you are not truly serious about the subject.
