China’s black skies and other forms of pollution were fully revealed to the world as the country beamed the coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Getting tremendous criticism from the rest of the world for what people saw, China decided to further augment and even expedite its environmental programs and projects.

While China is the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide, it is also the world’s largest producer and consumer of alternative energy. ‘China’s installed wind capacity has doubled in each of the past four years. Many experts seem reasonably optimistic that China could meet its ambitious renewable energy plans to derive at least 15 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. The country is also striving to reduce energy intensity per unit of GDP by 20 percent over a five-year period.’ These are some of the most ambitious green goals in the world, as China pours billions of dollars into alternative energy projects such as hydro and nuclear power.

On one hand, the Chinese people experience daily what may be the worst air and water quality on the planet. On the other, China has some of the most spectacular projects in renewable energy resources such as building massive wind farms and hydropower stations.

China’s plans, though, may still not be heartening to clean energy advocates. In China, ‘alternative energy will complement, not replace, growth in coal power. In fact, in a decade coal is expected to supply about 70 percent of China’s energy. Because of the sheer scale, diversity, and complexity of China, it is possible for the country to take some great green leaps forward, in particular progress toward its alternative energy and energy efficiency targets, while at the same time having its rivers remain black and its air quality a health hazard.’

Image

Via environment360