The filthy truth about "China's" diesel 'mules'

"LOADED down with goods and livestock, China's home-grown three-wheeled vehicles are a common sight chugging along rural roads. These so-called "Chinese rural vehicles" (CRVs) are often held up as a triumph of appropriate technology. But now it turns out they have a dirty secret. A new survey reveals that they present a worrying environmental problem because of the amount of fuel they consume and the copious emissions they produce. The CRVs are so profligate that they are largely responsible for driving China's modern thirst for oil.

The rise of private motoring is often blamed for China's growing petroleum habit. "All we hear about is the proliferation of cars in cities," says Dan Sperling of the University of California at Davis, who led the team that has analysed CRVs' environmental impact for the first time. "Everyone forgets about the other 800 million people in rural areas."

www.newscientist.com...

Wasn't China "exempt" from Kyoto? This CRV is a real problem for both world energy supply and polution.

Originally posted by Bush43
Wasn't China "exempt" from Kyoto? This CRV is a real problem for both world energy supply and polution.

I believe they were. Search ATSNN and I have posted several stories about the pollution/acid rain problem in China. While thier economy is growing faster than anybodies, the pollution problem is going to bring it to a screeching halt if they do not get it under control.