That's a ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny style argument: technology is different than it was 100 years ago; there's no reason to "follow the same path" as the

That's a ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny style argument: technology is different than it was 100 years ago; there's no reason to "follow the same path" as the original creators of that technology along with all the miss-steps. If you mean that Asian countries want a "growth spurt" by encouraging western corporations to build facilities where they can ignore modern pollution controls, then we are in agreement. But it's a beggar-thy-neighbor policy and one that hurts our entire planet and is abetted by free-trade agreements.