Commerce Secretary: Americans ‘Need to Pay’ for Chinese Emissions

With the U.S. secretaries of energy and commerce in China this week, much of the attention focused on the standoff over emissions reductions or small breakthroughs in clean-tech cooperation. But yesterday, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said something amazing—U.S. consumers should pay for part of Chinese greenhouse-gas emissions. From Reuters: “It’s important that those who consume the products being made all around the world to the benefit of America — and it’s our own consumption activity that’s causing the emission of greenhouse gases, then quite frankly Americans need to pay for that,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The idea that rich-country consumers should pick up the tab for some of China’s industrial emissions has been gaining currency lately—but not from within the Obama administration. The argument is that many of China’s factories churn out cheap stuff for the West, not for domestic consumption, so those consumers are actually responsible for the emissions. China, of course, loves the idea.

blogs.wsj.com...

[edit on 19-7-2009 by Bullhorn]

How the HELL does someone 'pay' for their emissions?

Thats not going to solve the problem!

Thats like telling someone, give me £10 pounds and I'll build you a house made out of solid gold!
Impossible!

Originally posted by Bullhorn
The argument is that many of China’s factories churn out cheap stuff for the West, not for domestic consumption, so those consumers are actually responsible for the emissions. China, of course, loves the idea.

There's a certain logic here. China churns out all of this cheap crap...mostly based upon petroleum-based products, mostly for the western markets. Part of the reason it's so cheap is that the Chinese get to ignore troublesome issues like organised labour, pollution concerns, etc.

So John Q. Public wants to buy cheap scata at Walmart...cheap because China doesn't pay attention to the niceties...note Asia's Brown Cloud...proving that the West really does want to have its cake and eat it too.

Makes sense to me. You don't want to pay for Chinese excess? Then bring those American jobs back home.

WHOOOAAAAHHH

this is ridiculous!

I think that if they wanted our business in the first place, then maybe they should have thought about that!

I'm sooooo sorry they don't have an EPA or workforce laws.

Bring the jobs back here! I'll pay for the emissions if it's actually going to be here. I'm not going to pay extra for stuff just because they are just now thinking about the environment.

Nor should our government workers be offering us up to do as such!

reply to post by Bullhorn

All these new taxes coming down the pike after Mr. Hope and Change
said he wouldn't raise taxes on ppl under 250k a year, ROFLMAO.

I just want to know if we can get complimentary lube for this
bent over the barrel fun fest from DC.

Can't wait to get my first 4 digit electric bill, LOL.





[edit on 20-7-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
Makes sense to me. You don't want to pay for Chinese excess? Then bring those American jobs back home.

I'm all for bringing American jobs back home.

How can we be expected to purchase anything without jobs or income anyway. Most of our industry has been farmed out to the rest of the world but prices and taxes keep on going up.

Something has to give. Maybe the carbon credit scam will make it too costly to export all of our jobs.