Op-Ed Contributors

West wastes energy by lecturing China

By John Coulter (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-23 08:05

China is a crowded place and traditionally, inefficient energy use has been penalized. For thousands of years Chinese farmers have managed their small plots applying manure and tilling intelligently. American scientist Franklin H. King visited China in 1909 and wrote Farmers of Forty Centuries, lauding their methods of operation that had evolved through a long history of exploring energetic efficiency.

In modern China the crowded population is forced to acknowledge the downsides of energy extravagance. Despite individual desires for big cars, governments at various levels have taxed vehicles according to the size of their engines and doubled parking charges to encourage people to take public transport, which have been upgraded. And there is a vigorous publicity campaign in the country to promote a low-carbon economy.

Education and awareness of the need to be frugal with energy are critical issues for Chinese governments at all levels, for organizations and for individuals. Air conditioning is not a free service. In cars and offices, design of surroundings and a willingness to get along with nature are more important than blind attempts to conquer nature with copious energy.

Does the West still need to lecture China on the need to conserve energy?

The author is an Australian research scholar collaborating with academic and commercial institutions in China.

(China Daily 07/23/2010 page9)