The NYT reports that a new study shows that China has substantially overtaken the United States in greenhouse gas emissions. While the article notes that the United States still emits almost four times as much per person as China, it doesn't discuss the implication of this fact. If China is going to agree to any cap on its emissions, it will almost certainly demand that it be compensated by the rich countries. Otherwise, it is difficult to understand why they should agree to constrain its population to a much lower standard of living because of an environmental problem created by the rich countries.
--Dean Baker
