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That isn't necessarily a more fair assessment because those things would be made using cleaner power if they were being produced in the EU or the USA. That is,
by makomk 7y ago
That isn't necessarily a more fair assessment because those things would be made using cleaner power if they were being produced in the EU or the USA. That is, moving manufacturing to China isn't just moving emissions, it's making them worse. Supposedly this is particularly bad with steel and aluminium, because China's government subsidies to their local production means that more efficient, less producing facilities elsewhere are being driven out of business by dirty and inefficient but subsidised Chinese output.
- ianleeclark 7y ago> That isn't necessarily a more fair assessment because those things would be made using cleaner power if they were being produced in the EU or the USA. It's a false belief to assume these manufacturing processes would return to EU/USA should China increase their regulations. Instead, there would be other nations with lower regulations that these manufacturing processes would move to in order maintain a satisfactory profit.
- SiempreViernes 7y agoOr things could just cost more, driving down consumption and thus emissions even further.
- ianleeclark 7y ago> Or things could just cost more This is why I said manufacturing would move to somewhere with fewer labor/environmental regulations. Things may cost more in the short-run, but that's just before some new, enticing land of opportunities pops up.
- SiempreViernes 7y agoUh, well... if you assume that wanton environmental destruction will never be addressed I guess you are correct.
- riversflow 7y ago>It's a false belief to assume these manufacturing processes would return to EU/USA should China increase their regulations. We should be tariffing nations who don’t live up to our human and environmental rights standards if we actually care about the issues. We should be forcing corporations to be ethical to do business here.