Stern: China's leiders onderkennen broeikasprobleem

"China's leaders recognize the urgency of tackling climate change and that reducing greenhouse gases does not mean slamming the brakes on growth, the author of an acclaimed report on global warming said on Friday.

At a news conference to outline a study he presented to the British government in October, former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern disputed the premise of several questions that China was not doing enough to address global warming.

"There is a sense of urgency in China," Stern, head of the British government's economic service, said. "It's important to recognize that China is moving, and moving quite quickly."

Other Western diplomats and environmental experts are less impressed, however, and privately fret that China's leadership is not fully aware of the dangers of global warming or putting enough priority on measures to tackle it.

Stern's review said timely measures to curb the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that warm the planet, and so avoid the worst impact of climate change, could cost as little as 1 percent of global gross domestic product a year."

Bron: www.reuters.com