The World in 2030

The World in 2030 115
emissions by 2.1 million tonnes in comparison with a
typical Chinese power station of the same size. 225
And in September 2007 China’s National Development and
Reform Commission announced a $133.3 billion project to
develop renewable energy sources:
China has released an ambitious plan to develop
renewable energy to cut its surging carbon dioxide
emissions.
The ‘Middle and Long-term Development Plan of
Renewable Energies’ promises to derive ten per cent
of China’s energy supply from renewables by 2010
and 15 per cent by 2020. 226
Cleaning up power stations, finding renewable and sustainable
sources of energy (see the following section on energy),
conserving energy and sharply reducing our emissions from
transport are all necessary and urgent actions. But there are
also other factors to be considered.
As the paleo-climatologist Professor William Ruddiman
points out, climate change began the moment humans started
deforesting the planet and growing our food plants and
husbanding our meat, instead of hunting and gathering. And
deforestation is, itself, a major but under-appreciated source
of global warming. The Independent reported in May 2007:
In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as
much CO 2
into the atmosphere as 8 million people
flying from London to New York.