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Should U.S. Work With China on Clean Energy?

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    NRDC Action Fund’s Bob Deans on the rise in China’s coal imports.

  • Duration 5:13
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You very much more coal imports in China were up almost 35% in 2000 well.

As the price of coal continues to plummet.

The IE UK who says that China will be number one in coal consumption -- here.

This comes after the Chinese Government said that they would use more renewable energy but coal.

And account for about 70%.

Of the country's energy for the next five years joining us now is Bob -- -- in the -- DC action fund so Bob how can they get away with -- -- under the Kyoto Protocol.

Yeah -- David you know there's something unmistakably Dickensian about you and I talking about coal here on Christmas Eve that's true did nothing fictional about the industrial nightmare there in China.

It is the biggest polluter on the planet we have to get this pollution under control but they're not a part of Kyoto I mean that's the bottom line.

Well what China's doing China recognizes sports own purposes that it needs to cut the carbon the Mercury that's -- for the -- average air from this cold -- so what they're trying to do was to things.

Improve their efficiency.

And five alternative fuels they've got a long way to go they're burning as you say four billion tons of coal this year half the coal in the world you have -- -- to.

Two lumps of coal in the world one half of it is Chinese that is something about Bob I've got an answer for.

-- I've got an answer and it's something you may not like.

But it is an answer and it's a hell of a lot cleaner than coal and that is natural gas.

There are more natural gas reserves in China.

Then there are in the United States and we've seen what fracking has done for natural gas in this country how much natural gas has become plentiful.

You may not like it it's still a fossil fuel but it is a hell of a lot cleaner than coal.

Why not encourage and help them in any way we can to develop their natural gas reserves.

You know David you're right we are the largest two largest economies in the world where the two biggest polluters -- the world the United States and China have a natural partnership here.

For clean energy where both investing about a hundred billion dollars a year together.

In clean energy China united and Arnold.

Bob let me just define what you mean with clean energy because a lot of people from the NRDC I've -- do not include natural gas with clean energy what you do.

Well what I'm talking about is wind solar and other sources but the -- but what about -- and what about natural gas -- Think the key to it David -- how we get it it have to be gotten a responsible way we can't continue to put our communities our -- are farmers that risk.

We can't continue to kick down the road.

The transition we need to make for the sake of our economy for the sake of our national security for the sake of our yard -- -- -- -- -- -- this isn't a fiscal cliff kicked down the road that they companies that.

That -- for natural gas are improving their techniques all the time they're not kick in the problem down a row.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- To develop their natural gas reserves so that they don't become too dependent on coal I think that's news.

Well what we're trying to do is encourage the Chinese to promote all -- -- clean technology you know we've had an office in Beijing since 1995.

NRDC has.

About 3035 people there.

We have good contacts in the government good contacts in the business community we're making a difference there but what it's about.

It's helping the Chinese to improve their efficiency you know David there -- industrial efficiency is improved by two thirds since 1980 but they're still fifteen to 40% behind where they need to be they're gonna get there in the next six but Bob.

Let's be realistic I mean you know you're comparing natural gas and -- -- it's going to be a long time before Windmills can get up to where natural gas is so.

If we have to deal with a solution right now for the Chinese to prevent them from spewing out all that -- 70%.

Of their energy needs is -- is coal produced if we -- to switch into some cleaner natural gas is a good way to go in the meantime right.

Well you're right about the 70% and you know in this country it's about 20% what China is doing something that no country in the history of the world has done David -- movie hundreds of millions of people from abject poverty to the global middle class that's historic that's epic.

It's taken an awful lot of energy and as you say unfortunately.

70% of it is coal we need to transition away toward cleaner -- China.

His owner is there anything that we can actually do about the China situation mean half the problem is we don't even know what's going -- -- inside that that country's borders much less.

The ability today to impact change what can we actually get down there.

I think -- body it's a great question has to do with a partnership based Sino American partnership around clean tech green energy technology.

China is now the world's leading.

Wind producer for electricity more when produce electricity in China than anywhere in the world.

We're number two in the United States we have a lot we can partner with on that there -- -- -- by the way you can partner with Wilbur Ross who's who's working with companies to get natural gas.

Out of the Chinese reserves and there are.

Huge huge reserves what Ross knows where the only -- -- -- to work with him on making a better deal -- -- good to see you thank you very much for -- and appreciated while the.

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