Comment on the extent to which energy efficiency and conservation investments co

The Chinese government claims to be acutely aware of the gravity of the country’s pollution problems and claims to be working to correct them. It has signed Kyoto Protocol, for example, but is exempt, as a “developing nation” from its provisions. News reports suggest the officials in the regions often are faced with investing in antipollution equipment, and meeting production quotas set by bureaucrats in Beijing. Such investments could decrease Chinese air and water pollution enormously, and would pay enormous dividends in better health, etc. But the leaders claim they “cannot afford” environmental protection. Students may wish to comment on this if they have access to data on the Chinese positive balance of payments with the rest of the world.