Last month, in Washington D.C., I met one of my favorite journalists, James Fallows, from the Atlantic Magazine. Mr. Fallows was returning from a 3-year post in China, where he reported on the country’s foreign policy, culture, its rising economy and its climate issues. We spoke briefly about about a 2008 article he wrote after visiting a number of China’s coal and cement factories, wherein he declared China’s environmental situation was disastrous and improving.
Fallows is thus particularly suited to comment on Obama’s first official trip to China, this week. And comment he certainly has! His analysis has included a 3-part (so far) post on Obama’s Asian diplomacy efforts, especially as they relate to climate change. Here is one perspective on the China trip that is rarely considered:
“Thirty years from now, the most important aspect of Barack Obama’s interaction with China will be whether the two countries, together, can do anything about environmental and climate issues. If they can, in 2039 we’ll look back on this as something like the Silent Spring/Clean Air Act moment in American history, which began a change toward broad environmental improvement.”
He goes on to notice:
“A week ago, according to the BejingAir Twitter feed…the city’s air quality was in the almost-unbelievable “hazardous” range. My friends in Beijing say that the skies are fresh and blue today, hours before Obama’s arrival. Good! Every non-polluted day is a victory.”
China and the United States are the highest greenhouse gas emitting countries in the world. But, as Fallows notes, the two countries also present the greatest opportunity for solution, with the United States’ R&D abilities and China’s increasing manufacturing capacity. Especially as China becomes less of a limited player, fostering close collaboration with the U.S., on large-scale climate issues, will be crucial. Failure to do so will make it exceedingly difficult for smaller countries to make any meaningful and lasting impact on the environment.
