China to increase coal production by 30% by 2015

China puts its economy before nebulous half-baked climate nonsense. Why is Australia not doing the same?

This story puts the final nail in the Government's argument for an early introduction of an ETS. Krudd & Co have been selling us the story (at huge expense - $14m at the last count) that China will participate in a "global agreement" to reduce emissions to be signed in Copenhagen, which is why Australia should be out in front, leading the way with its two-errors-in-four-words "Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme".

Well, I think you can just about forget that, Kevin and Penny, as news comes in that China will be increasing it's coal production by 30% in just six years to meet its ever-growing energy demands.

China is dependent on coal for about 70 per cent of its energy and because of its thundering growth the country has become one of the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases alongside the United States.

Beijing has said that coal, the cheapest and most plentiful source of fuel in China, will remain its major energy source, despite the impact global warming, which is blamed on greenhouse gases, has already had on the country.

The Government should be scrapping this false deadline of 2010 for the ETS immediately, as there is no hope of China being part of any global deal, and consequently no chance of global emissions being reduced significantly. All of which means that Australia's 1.5% contribution to global emissions is less than a fart in a (global warming induced) hurricane.

James Hansen just laid the planet's demise at Australia's feet for continuing to export coal - I wonder what he'll have to say about this?

Read it here.