China Greenhouse Gas Emissions Set to Rise Well Past U.S.

According to this article from Scientific American in February 2012, China's greenhouse gas emissions will be 50% higher than greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in as early as 2015. This number is staggering, considering that the United States already emits approximately 20-25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Though the U.S. and China are expected to forge partnerships to reduce their joint carbon dioxide emissions, there may be trade issues that prevent them from doing so, including, perhaps, those regarding solar, wind and electric vehicles. In addition, though China has been successful in pledging and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions intensity, they have so far not made any effort to reduce absolute emissions. Experts predict that those reductions may not occur until 2025 or 2035.

The article can be found in Scientific American online .