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Alex Zaccagnini

Mr. Coppola

Global Cultures

2/27/12

“Can China Go Green?”

China’s rapid expansion has many concerned about its carbon emissions and the effect it is having on global warming and the environment. China’s carbon emissions have surged past that of the United States due to its rapidly growing population and expansion.

Through use of solar panels, wind turbines, and vacuum tubes that take in the sun’s energy, China is making an effort to limit its amount of harmful emissions. Now, in Rizhao, China, at least 95% of buildings use solar energy. Some people even believe that 99% of the buildings use solar energy because it is so popular. No city in the United States, except for Honolulu, comes close to the amount of places that use solar energy in Rizhao, China. China is now the world’s leader in renewable resources. Many people did not believe that China could stop using coal and begin using solar energy, but now, in many places, it has run ahead of the United States.

In large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the pollution is slowly starting to be reduced because large industries are starting to move out of town as well as new businesses trying to use solar and wind powered electricity. The government has also begun to shut down many places that are creating the most emissions as well as begin to regulate many places. China has now made a low-carbon economy a major priority. However, much of this has to do with increasing the economy of the country. To sustain the economy in China, it has to grow at least eight percent each year to also sustain the communist rule. With the government in control of the people and the rules, they have more power and can stay in control of the people.

In other attempts to improve the state of China, a massive tree planting project has been started. Soil and seeds have been brought to begin planting and sustaining the trees. It has been estimated that about 100,000 trees have been planted so far. This is just...