China takes over US as top polluter

China has leapfrogged the US as the world's worst polluting economy according to a new study by the University of California.

The report says that not only have China's level's of carbon dioxide emissions been underestimated, but that, unchecked, they will entirely offset any reductions achieved under the Kyoto protocol - the UN pact to reduce emissions across member nations.

The political issues at the heart of the problem is that, while everyone agrees that China's emissions are too high, it is one of a number of developing countries which are trying to fight poverty and encourage growth.  China, along with other developing nations, argue that after decades of benefiting from higher levels of emissions, developed nations should do more now, and help developing economies by paying for cleaner technologies.  Moreoever, China also argue that the US still has a higher, per capita, level of carbon dioxide emissions, and that this should be the real measure of pollution.

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