China should invest in renewable energy

I think China should continue its aggressive investment in renewable energy.

In the mean time there are measures that can be implemented immediately such as installing scrubbers on coal fired plants if this has not already been done. Beijing had to pography similar to Los Angeles in that it is hemmed in on two sides by mountain ranges. Under certain weather patterns both Los Angeles and Beijing can be a trap for atmospheric pollution. Before strict requirements were places on automobile and truck exhaust the mountains were rarely visible in Los Angeles. Now they are only hidden during the most unfavorable weather conditions.

When I visited Kunming several years ago I noticed that all the motor bikes were electric. It was against the law to use gas powered motor bikes in Kunming. Every little bit goes a long way to reducing air pollution.

Also, natural gas is much, much cleaner burning than coal. They are at opposite extremes on the fossil fuel spectrum as far as pollution goes. Russia, Qatar, Iran, and Turkmenistan account for over half the known natural gas reserves in the world. If China would work out favorable trade with these neighbors it would go a long way to reducing air pollution in the more immediate future.

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