The China (And U.S.) Problem

Climate scientists from around the world agreed last week that it is both possible and affordable to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to control climate change. They just could not agree what to do about China. China, with its explosive economic growth, could eclipse the United States as the world's top polluter of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, very soon. And it, along with India, resists any restrictions on emissions that would limit its economic growth. Sound familiar? That's been the stance of the Bush Administration too, and either nation refuse to take more aggressive action unless the other does. Experts say it's a global game of chicken, with the world's climate as the stakes.