tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183878.post-1153431098654691292006-07-20T14:15:00.000-07:002006-07-20T14:31:38.730-07:00Paddy Tipping <A HREF="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2006-07-19a.305.3&s=speaker%3A10597#g305.6" target="_blank">asked the Deputy Prime Minister</A> about the problem of China's contribution to global warming via coal fired power stations.<br /><P><br /><DIV class="directquote">With the Chinese economy growing by 13 per cent. a year and reports that a new coal-fired power station is being opened every fortnight in China, it is a major source of carbon pollution. How confident is the Deputy Prime Minister about involving China in a successful outcome, post-Kyoto?</DIV><br /><P><br />I'm glad that Paddy Tipping has raised this, because I think it's a big problem, and I don't share Prescott's confidence. China is desperate for energy and climate change may be even lower on their list of priorities than it is in the more affluent West.<br /><P><br />Emissions from coal are a big problem, particularly as with oil running out, the Developed World is likely to turn to <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_gasification#Gasification" target="_blank">coal gasification</A> as a major source of transport energy. Although it might be possible to capture the carbon produced, it seems likely that a lot of it wouldn't be, because it's more difficult and more expensive.<br /><P><br />Unfortunately at the end of the debate, John Prescott reveals his (almost) total ignorance of the topic when he fails to understand the question about contraction and convergence. I agree with Martin Owen's comment "God help us!". It illustrates starkly how little the Government actually knows or cares about climate change.Aidan Boustredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12860840903820437157noreply@blogger.com