Peak pollution: China aims for the top so it can go down

The day after the Obama administration released its carbon rules, a senior Chinese official was quoted saying that China may consider a hard cap on carbon emissions in its next five-year plan, which is due in 2016.

If China does ratchet up efforts to clean up its economy, it could indeed reach "peak pollution" much quicker than anticipated. Some experts predict that China's pollution won't top out until the 2030s in a business-as-usual scenario.

This would be an extraordinary development if China articulates a plan to cap its carbon emissions in the near future. For years, global climate talks have been at a standstill because a bloc of developing countries led by China have been resistant to capping emissions, arguing that rich countries have had been polluting for far longer.

China has argued that it deserves more time – which would result in a continual increase in its annual greenhouse gas emissions. If China, influenced by U.S. action, decided to set a ceiling on its emissions rate, it could lead to a significant breakthrough in international negotiations.

Reaching peak pollution would necessarily mean closing coal plants. It would mean a massive increase in nuclear power. It would also mean using much more natural gas. It would require cleaner vehicles and more mass transit. And it would obviously mean a huge buildup of more solar and wind power.

There is still a long way to go, but the days of China's smog-choked cities may be numbered.

Source: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Peak-Pollution-China-Aims-For-The-Top-So-It-Can-Go-Down.html