China acts serious about climate change

China is hosting a conference about climate change to demonstrate that they're serious about the subject, even as they continue building coal-burning power plants and pumping more mercury than any other country into the atmosphere.

China holds climate conference aimed at showing world it’s committed to a low-carbon economy

Su Wei, director general of the commission’s climate change department, said they were not intending to deliver signals for the next major U.N. climate conference in Durban. “But what we would like to say and to convey the message is that China is paying a lot of attention and China is determined to develop a low carbon economy,” he said.

Su, who was China’s chief negotiator at last year’s U.N. climate conference in Cancun, said delegates would discuss how to reduce emissions while continuing to develop an economy and how to encourage the development of the renewable energy industry.

I'll believe it when I see it - but to their credit, the Chinese are building more nuclear power plants, which is a necessary element of any realistic path to a low-carbon, thriving and productive national economy.