Discussion on:

The dirty side of economic booms: smog knows no borders

China is not about to stop building coal plants at one a week nor put stringent air quality controls on them. They signed onto Kyoto because they had no obligations under the treaty. They have no problem taking the tar sands bitumen from Canada that the US won't via the rejected Keystone XL pipeline. They are actively buying up whatever resources they can around the world such as oil from Iran that other countries are boycotting.

China has over 1 billion people they need to get into the 21th century. Unfortunately, that won't happen if they are concerned with niceties such as pollution. Until the Chinese people protest in huge numbers, not much is going to change there.

So, of course, we should *not* build Keystone XL, and instead have Canada export its tar sands crude to China, because China is so much more environmentally responsible than the U.S. Right.

The U.S. environmental movement needs to get over its NIMBY-ism, and understand that when it comes to atmospheric pollutants, the whole world is our backyard. Aside from the obvious benefits to our economy, the U.S. is far more capable of responsibly refining Canada tar sands crude than China.

Local residents in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma don't want the pipeline. Those states aren't generally known as hotbeds of environmental politics. Why don' they want it? Consider that a major spill in the US midwest, can potentially poison the Ogalalla aquifer, a primary water supply of nearly every state between the Mississippi & the Rockies.

Nick,

I live in Oklahoma, have relatives in Kansas and Nebraska, and have not heard one complaint about the pipeline. All the local papers I have read in their editorials wonder when the administration is going to wake up and stop doing all it can to kill our economy, let American know-how make use of resources available to us to provide jobs and strengthen our economy. The XL pipeline will do much to help by being built, and provide more stimulus when in operation. When was the last time anyone heard of a new major pipeline causing a major oil spill? With the new technology use in pipeline construction, the safety systems and redundant controls, the threat is very minute, almost none existent. Also, the Ogalalla aquifer is considerably deeper than any portion of the pipeline would be placed. Yes, many can cry wolf all the time, insist their voice is the only one heard by our liberal media. Meanwhile, what about the clear thinkers, those unemployed in the construction industry and modern, clean petroleum industries because of narrow sighted nay sayers.... both in Government and public sectors ?

The states Keystone is routed through are already a web of pipelines. Keystone would equal less than a 5 percent increase in the amount of oil products being transported by pipeline through the states.

This is entirely a political fight and has little to do with the environment.

Make Canada refine it's product, and not allow it to be 'piped' anywhere. There is enough in North America to supply all of our needs. Not only would the price of gasoline/diesel/natural gas/propane drop, there would then be no energy shortages. The middle east could do their own thing, and no longer be a worry to the west. They would fade into obscurity, and not have the wealth that we are providing them (and their terrorist activities) with.

America is also bad, bad, bad! If it weren't for the efforts of all the socialist, communist, and other totalitarian dictators in the world, there would be a continuous shroud of smog around the whole planet and Gaia Mother Earth would be choking to death.

The US has done nothing to control its pollution. It has instituted no laws to clean rivers or to clean the air with regulations against automotive and industrial emissions. The US has used none of it advanced technological to use energy more efficiently.

Our situation just shows how representative and democratic-esq republics are the destroyers of the world. We must turn our eyes to the totalitarian nations of the world to lead the way to de-industrialize,

China will come to their senses and eventually, after they have accomplished their goal of world domination, put in place all the rules necessary to shut down further economic growth and its requisite pollution emissions. We know in our hearts that they will shun technological advances to control pollution as they have a better understanding that the world is addicted to energy consumption. They know that societies that allow development and growth and the increase of personal fortune eventually become unrestrained polluters.

Thank Gaia that we have a president who embraces such wisdom; who knows the true heart of the Chicoms, and is trying with all his ability to shut down this pollution generating economy here in the US.

Bruce,

I was going to reply in length, but after thinking it over, I realize it would be like talking to our liberal media and administration. Only resonable, true Americans that still love our nation can help her. The mind set of you and too many others like you only bleed America and it is sad you dont realize the fact you are being detrimental to yourself the most.

Bruce in San Jose, when I first started reading your comment I thought it was a joke. Then I read further and found that you were serious. The only thing I can figure out is that your on some bad acid trip or just plain goofy. Totalitarian nations have nothing to do with keeping industrial pollution at bay. In fact, they could care less. One thing about totalitarianism, you don't have to put up with all the people complaining about pollution, or safety for that matter, as long as the bottom line is met. Pretty much the same with communist nations.
I can see that your backing China's plan of world domination. I can only wish that we could dump your sorry self over there and see just how much you like not being able to make decisions for yourself and your family and being persecuted for your religion or political thoughts. But then again, that's what free nations is all about, letting dipsticks like yourself openly expressing yourself. The only thing that bothers me about that is that you can vote in elections....
To the subject at hand, the only way we are going to get ourselves out of this pollution pickle is to have international standards, but China and other communist nations won't play ball because it cost money to clean the air. As long as they can use cheap labor and not worry about pollution control standards they will continue to produce things cheaper and keeping themselves King of the Hill.....

i can NOT believe that no one has raised any concerns about ChemTrails! what the hell is the matter with you people. are you totally blind that you can't see the disaster that is being sprayed in the sky every single day??? we little piss ant humans are causing NO pollution compared with these toxic trails!

for God's sake and everyone else's, google CHEMTRAILS. look at the images. wake up 'cause this is NOT GOOD!

Don't believe the 'oh they are just contrails' hype. Contrails don't fill the skies in lines that last for hours and fill the skies with chemicals. People are getting sick and dying from their weather experiments. They are poisoning our water supplies and rainwater with this stuff. Wake Up People!! Look on the net, research, there is scientific proof.

I guess by looking at some of the comments that have been posted here, maybe Smart Planet isn't. All nations pollute. Every one pollutes. You can't live without polluting. Pre-industrial societies polluted as they used coal or wood for heating and cooking needs. Right this minute, if we all went back to living off a plot of land and cashed in all our industry, we would still pollute and the atmosphere would continue distribute this pollution around the globe.

Perhaps, there is another factor at play that most don't seem to connect here. Population. We are too many for the eco system we find ourselves confined. Like anything else, when you have too much or too many of anything, viability is put in question on this little planet. The chemicals and other pollutants that are let lose into the atmosphere by refining and other manufacturing processes have boomed across the developing world only because we demand the product. That "we" is an incredible number.

The atmosphere is a limited and closed loop resource that we will continue to compromise by the volume of our existence and carelessness. Like all closed loop systems, it will be self limiting. Humans have set a very interesting global experiment in motion, and now, all we will be able to do is watch it's outcome.

Chemtrails are a nice diversion from a reality too complex for many to fathom. I love simplicity, too!

Your right on the population. The earth can "safely" accommodate 2 billion people. We are now over 7 billion strong and in the next 10 years or so we will hit 12 billion. As long as humans keep procreating like rabbits and roaches, the pollution problem will grow exponentially. That is, pollution will be increasing in extraordinary proportions because of greatly increased population.
As far as contrails go, they are caused from the aircraft engines at high altitudes by the hot exhaust mixing in the cold dry air creating water vapor. I heard (and read) of this "chemtrails" malarkey over 20 years ago, and from what I remember it was pretty much written off as a hoax. Jet fuel is clean burning as long as it's of better quality than JP4, and in the states everyone uses JP5 and above. Kerosene would be the optimum, but it's cost is prohibitive.

check out the GEORGIA GUIDESTONES. the illuminati disagree with you. 'they' only need 500 million slaves to serve them so your idea of the 2 billion humans is way too many

well, this simpleton suggests that you take a good look at AGENDA 21. it's written in stone. the GEORGIA GUIDESONES that is