activecarbon

When we talk about climate change, a new concept has been coined a few months back, which is Carbon Intensity.  It is defined as carbon emission per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  Why is it created?  Why not go straight to reduction of carbon emission?

The concept ties to the economic development disparity and perceived equality.  Developing nations have not been the major contributors to the carbon emission in the past centuries.  When clean energy is too expensive or simply unavailable, the only way to develop their economy is to use traditional energy which unavoidably will leads to increased carbon emission.  Having Carbon Intensity will tie the carbon emission and climate change to right of development.

For example, China’s current carbon emission is slightly larger than that of U.S..  However their economic development status is much poorer.  Per capita energy consumption is only about one sixth of that of U.S..  If China subscribes the notion of absolute reduction of carbon emission, the energy consumption per capita will be even smaller than that of U.S..  Economic development will be halted and the standard of living will be frozen to less than one tenth of that of U.S., measured by GDP.