Guardian Unlimited: (Link Via Urban Survival)

Noting the environmental effects of his country’s rapid economic growth, China’s premier, Wen Jiabao, spoke to the Chinese parliament and asked them to help equal out China’s growth with environmental protection. However despite the broad proposals, skepticism persists:

“We must make conserving energy, decreasing energy consumption, protecting the environment and using land intensively the breakthrough point and main fulcrum for changing the pattern of economic growth,” he said

Small coal-burning power plants and “backward iron foundries and steel mills”, which contribute excessively to smog, would be shut, he told the delegates.

China’s status as the world’s fastest-growing major economy has brought with it a number of serious environmental problems, and the country is now home to five of the world’s 10 most polluted cities.

However, previous pledges to make economic growth greener have had little tangible impact. In today’s address, Mr Wen made no mention of efforts to combat global warming, and omitted any specific goal for cutting energy use.

Emphasis mine. As refreshing as it is to hear someone discuss closing polluting coal-fired plants, China (and the world) needs more than rhetoric at this time. We need action.

The more important quote from the story, “Last year, Beijing set a target of reducing energy use per unit of output by 4%, which it failed to achieve.”

Even with strong government goals to reduce energy use, in a Communist country like China, they were unable to reduce their energy usage. With global problems like energy depletion, falling oil production rates, and climate change we will need change. One can see what kind of resistance we’re up against if countries like China cannot reduce their consumption. The US, on the other hand isn’t even trying. The best we’ll get this year is some watered down legislation from the Democrats for environmental protection. No changes in fuel-efficiency standards, no greenhouse reduction plans, no real change. Once again proving that the government is not where one should look for guidance on these issues, the people need to “be the change.”