Meanwhile, in China

[G-spotter]

BEIJING (AP) - Preme Minister Wen Jiabao pledged Friday to help clean China's air and water and combat global warming by phasing out tax breaks and discounts on land and electricity for highly polluting industries.

 

"More work on energy conservation and emissions reduction is urgently required to deal with global climate change," Wen said. "Our country is a major coal producer and consumer, and reducing polluting emissions is a responsibility we should bear."

 

China's coal habit has made it a major contributor to greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, which scientists say contribute to global warming.

 

China accounted for 15 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases in 2000, second only to the United States' 21 per cent, but the fast-growing Chinese economy is expected to surpass the U.S. in emissions in the next couple of years.

 

China's three-decade-old boom has left waterways and coastlines polluted by industrial and farm chemicals and domestic sewage. Towns are littered with garbage and construction waste, and its cities are enveloped in smog.

 

"We must clearly recognize that the situation the country faces regarding energy conservation and emissions reduction is still quite grim," Wen said at a meeting of other top government leaders, in a speech posted on the government website.

 

Some of our own leaders could stand to make as honest a statement as this...