Why clean coal is a myth
SHANGHAI driving in China can be a risky business when you are not stopped in the increasingly frequent bumper to bumper traffic in this busy port city, make sure to prevent the corners from drivers who assume the right of way against the oncoming traffic; reverse for missed turns; or performing a U-turn in the middle of a busy road.
Aggression among Volkswagen Santanas that make up the majority of the taxi fleet is rewarded and the air is filled with the smoke of thousands of cars Although China has only 24 cars for every thousand Chinese cars against 800 thousand Americans country is on track to become the largest auto buyer by 2020 and this love story growing between Chinese and driving is a risk to the entire planet the world.
Year after year, the Chinese are buying more cars; sales increase of about 20 percent per year, up 8 of 8 million vehicles in 2007 Although Chinese law mandates that cars get at least 35 miles per gallon fuel consumption, a level of fleet US won t meet until 2020, a sizeable fleet of Chinese cars would prevent efforts to fight against climate change or eliminate other environmental challenges paved roads, suburbanization and all that traffic.
The United States can enjoy the most extensive road network in the world at present, but the Chinese are fast catching up with a few paved roads in the years 1980 to 2 2 million miles on March 6 million kilometers of roads in 2007 paved national roads in China and Expressways connecting major and minor cities, such as the highway that connects Li Yu-Chongqing Wanzhou and, when completed, beyond Chengdu in the west and Shanghai to the east the Chinese spend 9 3000000000000 in the next decade according to investment bank Morgan Stanley, building its roads and other infrastructure-smoking men gang chain in armed safety vests of excavators and earthmovers eat hills and plains to build roads more.
Let's not forget to mention weaning the world off oil, but that is as much a necessity for China, whose national oil fields are in decline, like those of any country Concerning oil, total world is limited and the price is very high, said Hun Lai Suen, sustainability professor at Chongqing University and a municipal government official, we can not rely on oil.
fuel costs of between 4 97 and May 56 yuan per liter 2 77-3 09 per gallon, depending on quality, in May thanks to government subsidies This artificially low prices cost the largest oil refinery in the company country and the third largest Sinopec world more than 20 billion yuan this year Thus, the Chinese government increased fuel prices on June 19 by nearly 20 percent.
That did not stop people from driving is too many people drive, a Beijing taxi driver told The only cars that should be allowed on the road are taxis and public transport But everyone wants to drive.
A Chinese love story long with cars that recall the US in the 1940s and 1950s is booming and it seems to be a growing predilection for greedy SUV fuel whose sales climbed 370,000 l last year, according to the China Association of automobile manufacturers, I am quite ashamed because my family has two SUVs, admits a Pekingese who wouldn t give his name my sister bought one because it is a sturdy car for her baby and my brother bought a be cool.
And the Chinese middle class adopted another American habit living in the suburbs and relying on a car trip, whether in Orange County, outside Beijing or similar suburbs on the outskirts of all other major cities.
In this suburb outside Chongqing, workers and servants sat on the curb outside the security gates where guards working in the outfits Liberation Army of the best imitation, the only keys make this community outside California or New York french trees lined the asphalt street slowly, actually bending plane supposedly because they were imported by the french in Shanghai, although some of the villas here boast palm trees to complete the sensation in California.
At least one car graces each aisle and dealers line the arterial road as in the US Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Suzuki, Volkswagen cars are varied national buying does not appear to be a part of Chinese policy judging by the preferred vehicles by Audi A6s responsible; Buick Regals and excel; Chevrolet Epica; Citro n 88s; Ford Focus; Honda Accord; Hyundai Elantra; Toyota Prados and Reizs; Volkswagen Jettas Passats and Santanas; with a handful of large walls, and Chang Geerys years of domestic manufacturers.
Although the Chinese capital of Beijing, by order, closed factories or move to the outskirts of the city, eliminated the burning of crop residues in the fields, seeded the clouds to produce rain cleaning and planted trees bulwark against the encroaching Gobi desert, the city air is still thick with smog and other pollutants the reason is cars with an assist from atmospheric conditions and illegal factories neighboring provinces.
Although there are only about three million cars in this city of 16 million, according to government statistics, vehicles dominate the city environment and about 1 000 new cars are added daily Like Los Angeles, the air does not always move in Beijing and when it doesn t, pollution builds with a time of cooperation, air may be cleaner than proven by experience of last year where 1 3 million cars in the city have been banned from the levels of conduct and pollution decreased by 6,400 tons 5,800 tons, according to the Beijing environmental protection municipal Bureau of the capital city will go further in its effort to produce an unpolluted atmosphere for the Games Olympic, in addition to repeating the prohibition of the car, 300,000 trucks and other high-emission vehicles were banned from the city roads until 20 September, which reduces the total number of trucks allowed to operate only 4000, the lowest possible level that will still allow enough goods to move even the Gover nment vehicles with their distinctive white license plates with red letters can not avoid the ban; 210,000 of them will be the same sidelined.
Despite these efforts, the air refused to clear Beijing and the government may resort to banning 90 percent of private vehicles guarded roads However, more comprehensive capital still does not meet the standards of the World Health organization for soot according to a Greenpeace report.
The Chinese government hopes to avoid an environmental Apocalypse focused on the automotive, both in mandating energy efficiency growing, but also pushing these domestic automobile manufacturers for vehicles with battery homegrown hybrid fuel, electric and under his 863 program takes its name from its launch in March 1986 at least 20 hydrogen car prototype Shanghai Volkswagen will be the Olympics that art is one of the electric cars strategies, more railways, more underpasses replace transport oil pipe, said Li Junfeng CREIA in more than five years, China will be the biggest market for hybrid vehicles.
And foreign manufacturers use China as a test bed for advanced technologies For example, General Motors opened a center of energy research of automobile to Tsinghua University in Beijing and launched its concept E-Flex cars Chevrolet Volt Cadillac Provoq and Opel Flextreme Beijing Auto Show in April in the end, however, these cars will still rely on gasoline and electricity or electricity and in China is mainly pollution from coal.
Shanghai, for its part, put a cap on new car registrations in 1000 and demanded that hydrogen fuel cell cars will be ready for its World Expo in 2010, but that does not seem to help circulation.
The ecological transport solution for cities of China is the same as that in developed countries of transit; if the blue bus double, gray and yellow zoom down special express lanes and subway lines in rapid expansion of Beijing and Shanghai.
But even if the Chinese renounce the car, an impossible prospect, which will still leave 10 million trucks and increasing the country needs to move goods from one place to these trucks are the primary traffic on most roads Chinese, trundling past signs that read in Chinese and English Don t when driving ban of fatigue or overspeed and groaning under heavy loads precariously held in place with a net and tarpaulins.
The driver needs more profits, says environmental manager Fan Changwei, such an overloaded truck that looks like it could switch at any time, it is not easy because the price of oil becomes cheaper and environmental.
Gas prices in China Scientific American, Price, porcelain, US.