{"id":3577,"date":"2013-05-26T14:43:46","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T18:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=3577"},"modified":"2013-05-26T14:50:15","modified_gmt":"2013-05-26T18:50:15","slug":"china-carbon-cap-and-georgia-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/china-carbon-cap-and-georgia-power.html","title":{"rendered":"China carbon cap and Georgia Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nIf China implements a carbon tax, will Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers\r\nchange his recent answer to a question about a carbon tax,\r\nwhich was “why would anyone want that?”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"Paul<\/a>\r\nIn February\r\n\r\nthe Chinese Ministry of Finance (MoF) said China would soon tax\r\ncarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions<\/a>,\r\nand that’s getting closer in\r\n\r\nthe country whose capital Beijing has smog bad it’s literally off the charts<\/a>.\r\nKatie Valentine wrote for ThinkProgress 22 May 2013,\r\n\r\nBombshell: China May Be Close To Implementing A Cap On Carbon Pollution<\/a>,\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\r\nChina is taking steps to tackle its huge\r\ncarbon output. Today, the country announced the\r\ndetails<\/a> of its first carbon trading program, which will begin\r\nin the city of Shenzhen next month. The southern city is one of seven\r\ncities and provinces<\/a>, including Beijing, which will take part in\r\nthe pilot program, set to be completely implemented by 2014.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAnd according to one local news source, China could\r\nimplement an absolute, nation-wide cap on its carbon\r\nemissions by 2016. China’s 21st Century Business Herald\r\nreported this week that the country’s State Council still needs to\r\napprove<\/a> the carbon cap proposal submitted by the National Development\r\nand Reform Commission, a government entity that controls much of the\r\nChinese economy. The proposal, which the State Council is reportedly likely\r\nto support<\/a>, would ensure China’s emissions would\r\nnot increase past the country’s target cap, regardless\r\nof economic growth — though it’s still unclear what\r\nthat cap would be. The paper reported that the NDRC also predicts\r\nChina\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2025, rather than 2030<\/a>,\r\nas earlier predictions stated.<\/p>\r\n

If the cap is adopted,\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

it would be a major step\r\nfor the world’s top CO2 emitter, which desperately\r\nneeds to slow its carbon production. China is experiencing the world’s\r\nfastest growth<\/a> in energy production and CO2 emissions, while\r\nproduction and emissions in the U.S. and Europe are flat-lining or\r\ndecreasing. China uses 47 percent of the world’s coal, a number\r\nthat’s only going up: in 2011, China’s coal consumption grew\r\nby 9 percent<\/a>, accounting for 87 percent of the world’s 374\r\nmillion ton increase in coal consumption that year.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSteve Levine reported for Quartz 24 May 2013,\r\n\r\nReports of a Chinese cap on carbon emissions are inaccurate\u2014or perhaps just premature<\/a>,\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

The reports are inaccurate: Seven\r\nChinese cities are<\/i> enacting experimental carbon-trading\r\nprograms<\/a> as of 2014, and Beijing is<\/i> fast\r\nreducing how much carbon is burned per unit of GDP (known as \u201ccarbon\r\nintensity\u201d<\/a>). But China hands in Beijing and the US tell me it\r\nhas made no firm decision on capping absolute emissions. (The rumor\r\nbegan with a May 20 report by the reputable Chinese newspaper 21st\r\nCentury Business Herald<\/i><\/a>.)<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nNot yet; but remember\r\n\r\nback in February China MoF said it would happen<\/a>.\r\nAnd also memember China\r\n\r\nhas regained the lead in solar and wind investment<\/a>.\r\nWill Georgia Power keep leading sunny Georgia farther behind smoggy China?\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\nOr will Paul Bowers turn the great ship Georgia Power towards the sun?\r\nWill he get what Quartz does not: there is no “tradeoff between economic growth and cutting emissions”.\r\nInstead, there is a huge market demand and business opportunity in leading\r\nGeorgia, the southeast, the U.S., and the world\r\n\r\ninto distributed solar energy<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n with wind off the Georgia coast\r\nfor power at night and less natural gas than we have now,\r\nwith no need for any coal or nuclear plants.\r\nOr at least Paul Bowers may realize, like China’s leadership is realizing,\r\nthat there is disruption ahead for the big baseload utility model and huge political demand for\r\ngetting on with distributed solar power.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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