Green Stars of China Business (Part 2)
Green Stars of China Business (Part 1)
The country is not especially rich in crude oil but China business has access to some of the largest coal deposits in the world. Mining is very extensively developed in the country. China business also has some unbeatable cost advantages in sourcing energy from coal. The government has responded to inherent contradictions of the matter by promoting better safety and thermal efficiency norms. China business has a clear segment which is served by energy from coal. This in turn helps to earmark sectors which can lead in alternative energy forms, and cap total air emissions from the country as a whole. Hydrogen fuel cells for example, have been allotted a vanguard role in future public road transport.
China business has been set some tough targets in terms of air emissions. The country is determined to meet at least a third of all its energy needs by 2020 through clean and sustainable means. There are no concessions in terms of international competitiveness or contributions to employment and to the national exchequer. The government is aware of its negative image in some adversarial nations about air pollution in its major cities, but is confident that it will make steady progress towards a future with clean air for all people. This confidence is backed by generous funding for all entities involved in research in to new energy forms. The government has invested over $100 million in electric vehicles alone.
A final but important element of the government’s approach to building a strong base in clean and sustainable energy forms has been to provide China business with relevant infrastructure. Hydrogen fuel cell technology, as well as engines that run on lithium ion batteries, have always suffered from range and capacity limitations. That is why city administrations in both Shanghai and Beijing have laid so much stress on building networks of refilling stations to make their futuristic public road transport systems work.
China consumes less energy than the United States, but has effectively pulled ahead of its rival in the matter of giving teeth to its clean and sustainable energy policies. Today’s super power has been content in stalling international treaties on global warming, and keeping crude oil deposits secure in friendly hands. The world leader of tomorrow on the other hand, has preferred to listen reflectively to world criticism about its emission issues, and to emerge with a comprehensive response.
