Submitted By: James Towers

So far, environmental policy has been slow to hit China and, with the population and the economy booming, comes a greater desire to own cars. Combined with the lax attitude toward the environment, ecologists across the globe are frightened of China’s future progress.

Recently, however, China has been shaking the green stick of environmentalism at car manufacturers. In only the last year, China has proposed legislation that would make emissions standards even tougher than in the United States.   ”The State Environment Protection Administration  (’SEPA’) announced in early October new standards for vehicle emissions that will reduce car pollutants by an estimated 30%. The new standards will take effect in 2007, forcing Chinese car makers to adopt technologies that are already standard in international markets. The 2007 regulations are equivalent to the Euro III standard used in the EU.” — EIU ViewsWire.

However, this bold declaration for the future essentially makes no difference because the standards for vehicle emission only work if all the fuel in China becomes cleaner.   For example, in Guangzhou they have pledged to easily meet this requirement and cut emissions in half, but the only way they can do this is with a clean supply of fuel.   “Only ten petroleum stations in the city currently supply clean enough fuel to complement the Euro-3-standard fuel-injection systems”  (EIU ViewsWire. New York: Sep 11, 2006). This means that no matter how hard the car manufacturers try to bring in the latest fuel efficient technology, because of the low grade of Chinese fuel, all the benefits are negated. “The level of vehicle emissions is not just connected to engine technology, but also to the quality of the fuel.  Although Beijing has moved to reduce sulphur content in fuel, analysts say that fuel quality in China remains low because of insufficient refining capacity.  The result is that the level of emissions can remain high despite the introduction of sophisticated engines. “Even companies which have brought in the latest vehicle technology to China complain they cannot meet the emissions standards,” says Timothy Dunne, partner at Automotive Resources Asia, an industry consultancy, in Beijing.”  – Dyer, Geoff

With all this in mind, does it appear that China is just “greenwashing” the rest of the world into thinking that it is environmentally conscious?

Or is this really just the beginning of a truly concerted effot by the Chinese to reduce, Number (1) the smog in their cities, and Number (2) greenhouse gases?