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Last updated on August 6th, 2017 at 07:09 am
Sir Nicholas Stern celebrates Chinese enlightenment:
It is true, he says, that China is adding a new coal-fired power station every two weeks. But it is reforesting and has pledged to cut by 20 per cent energy use per unit of output in the next five years. It has imposed high taxes on four-wheel-drives and “you can’t export an American car to China: it does not satisfy the emissions standards”.
Of course, there may also be a few standards issues involved in the export of Chinese cars to the US.
- Nothing the US does will satisfy Stern. And nothing China does will upset him. Now I understand how the Communists in Australia and western Europe overlooked Stalin’s crimes for those many years.Posted by AusDoug on 2007 03 24 at 07:06 AM • permalink
- The Chinese can teach us about emission standards but we can still beat them at soccer.
- China…emission standards…is this the same country that needed masks for their workers to travel around their smog-polluted capital city? Maybe someone can set me straight.Posted by Matthew Lawrence on 2007 03 24 at 07:29 AM • permalink
- Its a wonder china can keep the coal up to its new power stations the way their coal mines blow up every week. Probably safer in one of the mines than in their four wheel drives though.Posted by surfmaster on 2007 03 24 at 07:49 AM • permalink
- Our cars don’t put out enough pollutants to qualify for Chinese roads. In China a real man’s car puts out a cloud of smoke you can see from the moon.Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 03 24 at 08:02 AM • permalink
- Would like to say that no way I’d buy stuff like that from China, but these days find it almost surprising if I don’t discover, reading the small print on the back of the cardboard box, that now they’re assembling my Corn Flakes over there.
Regarding 4WD’s/SUV’s – never thought I’d even consider some day buying one. The sight of mothers wrestling them into narrow parking spaces outside busy supermarkets (think John Cleese here:) makes…me…mad! But with the recent delivery of a staggeringly heart-melting little baby boy last year, and blueprints for the next one (little girl now, fingers crossed) under review, I now find myself admitting that previous opinions were, perhaps, a tad premature. So, anyone willing to set me straight on what to get, feel free; I have no preconceived opinions on this, other than observing that the new Honda CRV looks tempting. Won’t be taking it off the road but will take long highway trips from time to time. Don’t want anything that struggles up steep hills, but won’t be drag racing with teenagers, either. Plenty of space for prams, groceries, luggage etc. Something in between the Mercedes luxury model and budget SUV of the year.
And remember, I’ll most likely believe whatever nefarious advice you write unless tagged with a “wink”, so be kind.
- We recently bought a Chevy trailblazer and love it. Very quiet, smooth ride. Not the greatest on fuel economy though. About 18 or 19 mpg. (we have the larger extended version with 3rd row)Posted by Old Tanker on 2007 03 24 at 08:52 AM • permalink
- Dminor
A small hint I might give. Have a look at a a few pranged vehicles at wreckers, police or roadside. Find out what the people involved suffered and what happened. I attended a prang where a lady spun off the road at around 120 kmph, rolled and eventually strck a tree.
She broke a collarbone.
The car was a little suzuki (2 days old her son told me) 4wd with front airbags, all of which deployed.
Id never been impressed by a lot of that gear till I started attending a few prangs. Well worth the extra dough.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 03 24 at 09:02 AM • permalink
- What is it about these people? China can do no wrong. Maurice Strong, Kyoto dog progenitor, and friend of the global limousine liberal chic set, even lives there.Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 03 24 at 09:22 AM • permalink
- I should have said The Evil Maurice StrongPosted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 03 24 at 09:24 AM • permalink
- “you can’t export an American car to China: it does not satisfy the emissions standards”.
Crap. One of the reasons Chinese automakers aren’t really exporting yet is because THEIR cars don’t meet European and American safety and emissions standards.
‘Reached by phone in China, an employee of the Brilliance’s export trade department said the automaker wants to export the Zhonghua.’
‘“But right now the emissions criteria doesn’t meet US and European levels,” the worker said. “Getting those certifications is very expensive. Therefore, we don’t have a plan to develop these aspects right now.”’
Posted by Dave Surls on 2007 03 24 at 10:24 AM • permalink
- “you can’t export an American car to China…”
Yeah, because the Chinese communists are trying to protect their fledling automotive industry from the vastly superior products available from manufacturers in japan, America, etc.
Lots of foreign companies are operating in China but usually they’re required to be in a partnership with Chinese companies (I believe that General Motors is the biggest investor of all the foreign automobile companies operating in the PRC).
Stern is a lying sack of shit…like all leftists.
Posted by Dave Surls on 2007 03 24 at 10:33 AM • permalink
- Reading this:
[China] has pledged to cut by 20 per cent energy use per unit of output in the next five years. It has imposed high taxes on four-wheel-drives and “you can’t export an American car to China: it does not satisfy the emissions standards”.
And China has signed the Kyoto Protocol.
Brought to mind this:
These were people who believed everything about the Soviet Union was perfect, but they were bringing their own toilet paper. — P.J. O’Rourke on touring the Soviet Union with American Leftists
Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2007 03 24 at 10:45 AM • permalink
- So one unexpected consequence of Global Warming is the return of Five Year Plans and Great Leaps Forward…Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 03 24 at 12:31 PM • permalink
And China has signed the Kyoto Protocol.
Posted by Kyda Sylvester on 2007 03 24 at 01:15 PM • permalink
- No doubt Stern really appreciate the emission standards and efficiency of these Chinese vehicles.
That those vehicles support this Chinese industry is doubtless part of the plan to reduce China’s energy use per unit of output.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 03 24 at 01:42 PM • permalink
- Now, now – I’m sure those new power stations thrown up every two weeks are built to the highest safety and emissions standards. After all, what could possibly be wrong with this?Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 03 24 at 02:09 PM • permalink
- Notice once again that many in the environmentalist movement are more interested in making people use less energy than in reducing pollution. Polluting coal plants are alright with them, as long as you buy into their notion of a more modest lifestyle. Concern over pollution is really just a vehicle for making people live according to their monastic standards.
There are real environmental issues that deserve our consideration, but the current environmentalist movement is too corrupted by neomarxism and a naively idyllic vision of ‘the simple life’ to frame them intelligently.
- Hmmm.
Sorry folks but that nonsense about reforestation efforts?
Utter bullshit.
What happens is that people send money, either government, NGO or private, to remote areas where the administrators steal the money and then tell the local farmers to go and dig post holes for the saplings that never actually show up.
There are entire countrysides in rural China covered with open post holes giving the terrain the appearance of a peculiarly bad case of land-acne.
Posted by memomachine on 2007 03 24 at 02:18 PM • permalink
- Hmmm.
What I want to know is how on earth China’s trade practices are acceptable under WTO rules.
Posted by memomachine on 2007 03 24 at 02:27 PM • permalink
- I have a question for Stern: how does one say “Potemkin village” in Chinese?Posted by Spiny Norman on 2007 03 24 at 02:59 PM • permalink
- #33 same here. That and the back of the berlina looks a bit crowded with three booster seats.
And I don’t know about you, but the thought of buying a people mover is like admitting my life is over.
So I am looking carefully at a pajero. A landcruiser is too big, and I think the toyota set up for the third row of seats sucks.
- Of course, there is the territory, which might be a good compromise between a 4wd and a sedan, but access to the third row sucks.
But for dminor’s problem, with two kiddies, I would stick with something like a berlina. Handles better than any suv, probably better fuel economy, and has a few touches of luxury to make long distance trips more comfortable.
- #19 Dave S,
You are correct. Surprise, the wonderful, great, ecological father of Kyoto, Chairman Moe actually started a business to do just this, but the piece of crap auto failed basic safety tests. Sorry, don’t have time to dig out a link, but it’s true.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 03 24 at 06:05 PM • permalink
- #24 Rebeccah, I have some light bulbs in my house that are soooo low-energy, they give no light.Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 03 24 at 06:08 PM • permalink
- #28 Nathan, no they do not want others to live to their monastic standards because they don’t have such standards. It’s OK for them to burn as much energy as they wish, because they are the servants of Gaia, see Al Gore and the fruit fly man.
They have palacial standards. It is us, the inferior, who must live to hermit, read FEUDAL PEASANT, standards.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 03 24 at 06:12 PM • permalink
- Here in LA, according to the papers, the city is going to cut auto use by doubling bus and subway fares…Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 03 24 at 06:50 PM • permalink
- pledged to cut by 20 per cent energy use per unit of output in the next five years
This bit of news is a couple of years old, and their failure to meet the targets cal only be described as spectacular.
But that’s ok, the announced intention is what matters, not the delivery. If delivery was what mattered, America would be loved.
Posted by Chris Harper on 2007 03 24 at 06:58 PM • permalink
- One of my young friends tends to sputter and gripe when talking about SUVs. Hates them, for all the typical reasons.
One day, as a mid-sized one drove by, he was making his normal noises until I pointed out that the horrible, fuel-wasting SUV that just went by got better gas mileage than his 30 year old (untuned) VW Bus, with much less emissions, was more stable on the road, would go faster, and was immensely better for the occupants during collisions.
- Is Stern telling porkies (again)?
http://www.beijing-jeep.com
http://www.cadillac.com.cn/China’s emission standards are Euro III which are no longer current in Europe (now Euro IV). US cars must easily meet China’s emissions rules because they meet the current Euro IV standards.
- Hmmmm.
got better gas mileage than his 30 year old (untuned) VW Bus
Not to mention that, in a front-end collision at almost any speed, the VW bus would largely amputate the legs of anyone riding in the front seats.
A bit of a downer that.
Posted by memomachine on 2007 03 25 at 12:39 AM • permalink
- Stern’s biased nonsense on emission standards is suggestive of his whole flawed report.
He’s an economist trying to seque and ‘do a Flannery’.Recent figures show that the 2 US makers in Germany Opel and Ford are the ONLY companies there who exceed the European emission standards.
Stern is just a crude anti-American. Disgraceful.
- Dminor, I’ve mentioned before that my mother has a Toyota Kluger (a.k.a. Highlander) and it’s a nice vehicle. It’s more like a big spacious car than a 4WD (it doesn’t have proper 4WD anyway), but the engine and ride are really smooth, and it seems to have plenty of power without guzzling the fuel. However, I think you’d get better economy from a station wagon, and quite possibly enough space. You should look at both and decide which meets your needs best.
- #49
Opel is a GM subsidiary.#47
Is Stern just a typical economist/political “scientist”, sprouting rubbish across multiple disciplines, cos the rest of us are dolts?Worst coal mine fires on the planet, very unrefined distillate, massive ground contamination … China makes India look refined … who’s this jackass think he’s fooling?
- Dminor,
I just got back from a 2 week trip in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I rented a Chrysler Pacifica in LV and was so happy with it, I cancelled my rental reservation with a company in LA cause they didn’t have them and rebooked with one that did. The Pacifica handled great, got really decent gas milage with a peppy engine. A tank of gas lasted a whole week in LA and we drove everywhere.
- Dminor, my wife got a new Pontiac Torrent (we’re a GM Family ;->= get a discount). It’s a ‘crossover’ SUV (an SUV built on a car base– call it a station wagon if you like). Gets around 23 highway and is easily making 18MPG going to to work (7 miles each way, stop and go).
It doesn’t have a third row of seats, but it is plenty roomy for 2 small kids and their necessary accoutrements.
She got FWD because, as she says, “if I’m ever in a situation where I’ll need 4WD I’ll also undoubtedly need an ambulance.”
Anyway, the Chevy Equinox and the Saturn Vue are built and the same platform. They come standard with a very nice V-6 that provides plenty of pep.
I suggest you look into them, although they may turn out to be smaller than you want. They are, as my wife says, “Surprisingly roomy.”
Posted by JorgXMcKie on 2007 03 25 at 04:42 PM • permalink
- I forwarded that article to a friend who lived in China many years and worked in the State Dept. Although he is still cracking up at the stupid article, there are several things he pointed out:
1. yes China did sign Kyoto, but as a developing country therefore exempt from CO2 controls.
2. “China’s reforestation is CAUSING desertification and radically worsening the environment, according to the very eco-nuts this guy adores.”
3. you can import cars from the US to China. China has big taxes and tarriffs on cars that are large with large engines, not because they are environmental angels, but because they have limited highway space, limited parking, narrow streets, and lack of sufficient petrol resources, refining capacity, etc.
4. “and yeah, China has pledged to cut??? China makes a hundred fatuous pledges to do some wondrous thing every week–mainly to get morons like this lulled to sleep. It keeps none of them, and never has.”
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