China's Pollution to Worsen During Crisis

The economic crisis in which the world is currently engulfed is not what our choking planet needs right now.

From RFA:

BOSTON--China's economic slowdown is likely to result in worsened pollution, setting back efforts to clean up the environment, experts say.

Analysts are concerned that the net effect of China's recent policy decisions will be an increase in emissions, even though thousands of polluting factories have shut down due to the economic slump.

On the one hand, slower manufacturing growth means lower demand for electricity and less air pollution from power plants. But economic stimulus plans will add pollution with new construction projects, said William Chandler, director of the energy and climate program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

"It's hard for me to see anything good coming from this economic crisis in terms of the environment and climate change," Chandler told Radio Free Asia.

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It makes sense that, during a time when money is tighter than ever, the extra effort and investment clean energy requires will not be made.

China needs to stimulate its economy. The easiest way to do this is get its massive and unskilled labor force out building things. It's unrealistic to expect that this construction will include solar panels and wind farms.

It's unfortunate that this is the case though. The world seemed as though it may have been close to a breakthrough when it comes to polluting less.