When I hear people say that China isn't going to do anything to combat climate change so it doesn't matter what we do, I tell them that is old information.  China has figured out that they can't have their people drowning in their own pollution.  They have also figured out that they want to build the innovative energy systems that the rest of us will need to buy.  Tom Friedman has an interesting opinion piece, entitled "Can I Clean Your Clock?" up at the NYT on why he thinks that China will step up to making the changes needed to prevent horrendous greenhouse gas emissions.

Friedman talked with Hal Harvey, the chief executive at ClimateWorks, who keeps tabs on who is doing what in climate change.  Harvey said, “They want to be leaders in green technology. China has already adopted the most aggressive energy efficiency program in the world. It is committed to reducing the energy intensity of its economy — energy used per dollar of goods produced — by 20 percent in five years. They are doing this by implementing fuel efficiency standards for cars that far exceed our own and by going after their top thousand industries with very aggressive efficiency targets. And they have the most aggressive renewable energy deployment in the world, for wind, solar and nuclear, and are already beating their targets.”

Friedman wasn't always so sure.  He starts off with a great story about how he talked with Chinese about why they ought to pay attention.  With apologies to the NYT, I reprint the first three paragraphs of his piece.

"Over the past decade, whenever I went to China and engaged Chinese on their pollution and energy problems, inevitably some young Chinese would say: 'Hey, you Americans got to grow dirty for 150 years, using cheap coal and oil. Now it is our turn'.

"It’s a hard argument to refute. Eventually, I decided that the only way to respond was with some variation of the following: 'You’re right. It’s your turn. Grow as dirty as you want. Take your time. Because I think America just needs five years to invent all the clean-power technologies you Chinese are going to need as you choke to death on pollution. Then we’re going to come over here and sell them all to you, and we are going to clean your clock — how do you say ‘clean your clock’ in Chinese? — in the next great global industry: clean power technologies. So if you all want to give us a five-year lead, that would be great. I’d prefer 10. So take your time. Grow as dirty as you want.'

"Whenever you frame it that way, Chinese are quizzical at first, and then they totally get it: Wow, this energy thing isn’t just about global warming! In a world that is adding one billion people every 15 years or so — more and more of whom will be able to live high-energy-consuming lifestyles — the demands for energy and natural resources are going to go through the roof. Therefore, E.T. — energy technologies that produce clean power and energy efficiency — is going to be the next great global industry, and China needs to be on board'."

Friedman goes on to point out that we in the US have a choice.  Currently we manufacture only one-sixth of the world's top renewable energy products.  If we don't use the climate change bill winding slowly through Congress to require that we innovate, we will be buying everything from the Japanese, the Europeans and the Chinese, all of whom are ahead of us in these fields.