Climate Change - China

1. Climate Change - China • The following presentation is a brief introduction to the possible influence of China. • The presentation may allow you to want to discuss the impact on Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere of the growth of the Chinese economy. • China became in April 2008 the largest polluting country in the world. The build-up to the Beijing Olympics is being closely monitored as climatic conditions may affect some events. John, April 2008

2. What do we know? • “China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese” • Charles de Gaulle

3. Between now and 2015, half of the world's construction will take place in China China now boasts 345,000 dollar millionaires and 106 billionaires. China rising “ To get rich is glorious” – Deng Xiaoping

4. China is the world’s third-largest car market Rising consumer culture

5. The great divide – increasing inequality Unregulated economy; informal labour Social consequences

6. Rising eco-crisis • Nearly one-third of its landmass, 2.64 million square km of land, devoured by desertification

7. 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in China

8. Water scarcity • China has 1/4 of global per capita average available fresh water • 400 out of 600 Chinese cities have inadequate water supplies • 1 in 6 experience severe shortages • Deep wells around Beijing now have to reach 1,000 meters to tap fresh water (World Bank)

9. Effects on Health • In Zhejiang province, five to eight times more morbidity of intestinal cancer caused by microcystin toxins in water than among people who have access to cleaner drinking water • In 2007, the World Bank estimated that pollution causes 750,000 premature deaths a year in China

10. What has China got to do with her? • 30% of the sulphate particulate matter this student at UCLA breathes come from China (US EPA)

11. What has China got to do with him?

12. Climate impacts in China • Over the next 13 years, China’s average temperature is expected to increase by 1.3- 2.1°C • In reality, this means that many parts of the country will see drastic temperature increases

13. Precipitation is expected to increase by 2% by 2020 and 7% by 2050 • This will not alleviate chronic water shortages in the north • It will add to flooding problems in the south

14. Negative agricultural impacts will dramatically undermine food security • Increased vulnerabilities from salt water intrusion and erosion in coastal zones, including the economically important regions of the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas

15. China is the country in the world with the largest population in low elevation coastal zones Low elevation coastal zones (LECZ), defined here as land area contiguous with the coastline up to a 10-metre rise elevation

16. The Tibetan plateau is heating up by 0.3°C each decade, more than twice the worldwide average • Its glaciers are shrinking by 7% a year • Increased risk of large-scale flooding

18. Rich countries have the deepest carbon footprints

19. Disaster risks are skewed towards developing countries

20. Disaster risks are skewed towards developing countries

21. China/US

22. Rich countries dominate in terms of cumulative emissions

23. (Tyndall Centre)

24. 23% percent of China's carbon emissions are from the manufacture of goods exported to western consumers

25. Business-as-usual emissions on a rising trend

26. King coal’s emperor in the East • China is the world’s largest consumer and supplier of coal • China derives 69% of its primary energy and 52% of its electricity from coal • In 2006, China burned more than twice as much coal as any other country, 39% of the global total

27. In 2003, more than half the CO2 produced by burning coal came from China and the US • By 2025, if current trends continue, China will produce twice as much as the US, or 40% of the world total

28. China consumes • If China consumed paper at the same rate as the US, we would need four times the existing forests on earth • If China had the same rate of car ownership as the US, the batteries would need four times the world’s lead supply

29. In 2006, residents submitted 1,650 formal complaints about pollution every day, a total of 600,000 and a 30% rise on the previous year • One in 10 of China’s urban residents considers the city they inhabit “unfit for living” • Four in 10 are unhappy with their local air quality and believe pollution is affecting their family’s health

30. “Mass incidents” - cases of popular unrest –numbered 74,000 in 2004, over 200 a day Another reason why the central government is concerned

31. Government action • Environmental protection was listed as a national policy in 1983 • Sustainable development policy was introduced in 1996 • 9 environmental protection laws are in place • 15 natural resources protection laws are in effect • 51 international agreements have been signed

32. A global leader in re-newables? • China will likely achieve—and may even exceed—its target to obtain 15% of its energy from re-newables by 2020 Rizhao, Shandong. Solar water heaters are installed in 99% of all urban buildings. More than 6,000 families in Rizhao use solar cookers.

33. China is the world’s largest market for solar hot water: • Nearly two-thirds of global capacity • More than 10% of Chinese households rely on the sun to heat their water

34. The green GDP campaign • Green GDP = GDP - the costs of natural resource consumption - the costs of environmental depletion • China emitted US$64 billion worth of pollution in 2004, equivalent to 3.1% of GDP • (Pollution costs China 8% to 12% of GDP annually in direct damage)

35. In April China’s State Council issued a new set of regulations on open government information. • The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs used this to develop an online database of Chinese water pollution

36. Why should we care, and what can we do? • China has a global environmental impact • There is no solution to climate change without China