Clean up your act_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Clean up your act

Coal is the dirtiest of the three major fossil fuels, emitting more carbon dioxide and other pollutants when burned than oil or natural gas. China lacks substantial oil and gas reserves, at least in light of its enormous appetite for energy. "The country is already second in the world in oil consumption," behind the U.S., McElwrath pointed out. "Its consumption grew at 5.5% last year, and oil demand will continue to grow rapidly."

But for now, it's mainly smoky, sooty coal fires that are clouding China's economic and environmental future. "With annual growth of 9% to 10%, coal utilization will soon approach 10 billion tons a year," McElwrath predicted. The country now consumes about 2.5 billion tons a year. "If China maintains the energy supply it needs, using coal, it will be unbearable environmentally. If it doesn't maintain that supply, it will see a drop in economic growth."

...

Chinese leaders, while they have so far focused on increasing economic growth and pulling their country up from poverty, acknowledge the health dangers of pollution and have begun to consider ways of bringing cleaner energy. One promising method is capturing the pollutants released when coal burns. Earlier this year, research institutes in China and Australia teamed up to build a pilot plant in China to test such a technology. The Australian group said that the method had the potential to reduce carbon emissions from coal-burning plants by 85%.