Beijing to Ban Coal Burning

We all know that there are a number of people in this country who are not inclined to do anything to try and mitigate the impacts of climate change. These people have too often sought refuge in the notion that “if China is not doing anything, why should we?” Well, it’s starting to look like these folks might not have China to kick around much longer, when it comes to this issue.

First, there is the fact that the Chinese may not have their heads in the sand the way that we do. That idea was certainly supported by the Global Trends survey undertaken by Ipsos MORI. This survey of 16,000 people from 20 leading countries found that the US had the lowest percentage of people (54%) who understood the linkage between human activity and climate change, while China had the highest with 93%. This could have had something to do with the fact that Chinese students scored highest in the PISA Science Assessment, while students in the US scored near the bottom of the list of 35 participating countries. Then again, the US score could have had something to do with the $900 million being spent on propaganda by climate change counter movements here. But, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, or is it that actions speak louder than words? Either way, Chinese state media just made the surprising announcement that they would be banning the sale and use of coal in Beijing by the year 2020.

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RP Siegel, author and inventor, shines a powerful light on numerous environmental and technological topics. He has been published in business and technical journals and has written three books. His third, co-authored with Roger Saillant, is Vapor Trails, an eco-thriller that is being adapted for the big screen. RP is a professional engineer – and a prolific inventor, with 50 patents, numerous awards, and several commercial products. He is president of Rain Mountain LLC and is an active environmental advocate in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. In addition to Justmeans, he writes for Triple Pundit, ThomasNet News, and Energy Viewpoints, occasionally contributing to Mechanical Engineering, Strategy + Business, and Huffington Post. You can follow RP on Twitter, @RPSiegel.