Based on a recent article in the New York Times, As China Roars, China is setting new records not only in economic expansion but also in pollution levels. By the end of this year, China will be producing more annual pollution than the United States (holder of the title for, well, forever).
So the article is worth a glance, though the NYT take is a bit tree-huggery. My real question is about sustainable development - what would it look like compared to the current paradigm? What is a sustainable growth rate, given today's endowment of natural resources and available green technology? It's preposterous to develop policy that precludes growth ... what we really need are policy recommendations that encourage sustainable growth and restrict consumption of natural resources through progressive taxation, not quotas. I'm a firm believer in minimizing deadweight loss - I'd love to take a survey on the "value of trees" to the global population and just tax at that rate. It would be so pretty.
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