oneworldtalk

China has already overtaken the US as the world's "biggest polluter", a report to be published next month says.
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All those concerned about climate change agree that China's emissions are a problem - including China itself.

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In brief, although this study looks bad for China's reputation, it may be good for China's negotiating position.

The Chinese - and the UN - insist that rich countries with high per capita levels of pollution must cut emissions first, and help poorer countries to invest in clean technology.

America's per capita emissions are five to six times higher than China's, even though China has become the top manufacturing economy.

US emissions are still growing too, though much more slowly.

Dr Auffhammer told BBC News that his projections had made an assumption that the Chinese government's recent aggressive energy efficiency programme would fail, as the previous one had failed badly.

"Our figures for emissions growth are truly shocking," he said.

"But there is no sense pointing a finger at the Chinese. They are trying to pull people out of poverty and they clearly need help.

"The only solution is for a massive transfer of technology and wealth from the West."

He acknowledged that this eventuality was unlikely.

Those scientists aspiring to stabilise global emissions growth before 2020 to prevent what they believe may be irreversible damage to the climate may be wondering how this can possibly be achieved.

"President McCain, President Obama, President Clinton would all shift this country to a much higher level on climate change," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, told a meeting of state leaders at Yale University.

The presidential hopefuls -- Republican John McCain and Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- favor tougher limits than President George W. Bush on greenhouse gas emissions.

Bush, who will step down in January, unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would cap U.S. emissions by 2025. He has opposed tough mandatory cuts, saying they would harm the economy.

California, Illinois, Florida and 15 other states will "reach out to major presidential candidates as a means of shaping the first 100 days of the next administration," on climate, according to the agreement signed on Friday. They will share their experience in forming emissions plans to create state and federal partnerships on climate.

The leaders also marked the centennial of a governors meeting with former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt that established a conservation partnership between the states and the federal government and helped create the U.S. park system.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a deadlock between the United States, by many counts the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, and rapidly developing countries, like China and India, on working together to cut emissions would loosen if a new U.S. administration takes the lead on climate change.
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, told the meeting that national action to cut planet-warming gases could help repair U.S. relations with countries that have urged the United States to do more on climate.

"We have a vacuum in Washington that not only hurts the states, but our reputation internationally," Corzine said.

In the agreement, the leaders said they represent more than half of the U.S. population and emit more than half of the country's greenhouse emissions.
Daniel Esty, a professor of environmental studies at Yale, said the states have begun contacting some of the presidential candidates.

The other states in the pact were Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington.

Leaders from 18 U.S. states that have bypassed the Bush administration and set tough greenhouse gas limits agreed on Friday to try to shape the next administration's climate policy by contacting the presidential candidates.