posted on January 26, 2004 01:36:48 PM new
readmond asked-What shall oil prices do as China and India become consumers? What about air quality? China and India are exempt from the restrictions of the Kyoto treaty
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most of these less developed countries have pollution problem in their big cities such as cairo,bagdad,new delhi etc.
as for the chinese,there are many big time smokers and they also burn coal,many cook with unrefined canola oil and the way they heat up the wok with such oil,it emits a fume when inhaled into the lung causing lung cancer(many chinese kitchens have no windows or poorly ventilated).
so they are taking it all in,i am surprised we dont hear more of lung cancer from china.
i dont know why so many chinese smoke,as smoking in old days are not that common.
-sig file -------the lobster in the boiling pot of water who tries to prevent the others from climbing out.
posted on January 26, 2004 05:53:10 PM new
"so they are taking it all in,i am surprised we dont hear more of lung cancer from china."
Don't worry, we will. RJR (or another of our tobacco companies -- while going broke here in the U.S.A.) just signed a HUGE agreement to peddle its cigarettes in China. I'll see if I can find a link...
posted on January 26, 2004 05:58:33 PM new
This article is over a year old.
Lung cancer is at epidemic proportions in China -- and the worst is yet to come, according to the World Health Organization, which has recently published The Tobacco Atlas. It is estimated that by 2025, two million Chinese men will die annually from smoking. Lung cancer currently kills 283,031 people in China each year. Although the rate for women is much lower, 61 percent of Chinese men over age 15 smoke.
Here's the stimulus to the American cigarette's recent overseas migration: Taxes on cigarette imports will be reduced to 25% from 65% in January 2004.
http://www.euromonitor.com/Cigarettes_in_China
Until recently (before the tax break) U.S. cigarettes (like Marlboro) sold for around $2.00 per pack in China. (Compared to over $4.00 per pack here in the U.S.A. where they're made. <Insert CHAGRIN smilie here> )
Lots more out there on the web via Google, if you're interested, including the World Health Organization's estimate that there are approximately 1.1 billion regular smokers in the world today. Perhaps we should start our own religion:
The Holy Order of Huff and Puff!
KC, the way corporations are structured these days, it doesn't matter if parent-company RJR shows a profit in its Cream of Wheat division, and the losses racked up by dwindling cigarette sales are not bolstered by a sudden run on Grey Poupon mustard...
posted on January 26, 2004 08:27:07 PM new
Bush refused to sign the KYOTO agreement too..this is his explanation.
In a letter to Senator Chuck Hagel on 13 March, President Bush stated his opposition to the protocol on the basis that, by exempting countries such China and India from compliance, it is unfair. However, to put this into perspective, it is worth noting that the US is responsible for 25 per cent of global emissions of CO2, while it is home to a mere four per cent of the world's population. More importantly, its greenhouse gas emissions per capita are more than 20 times those of India and eight times those of China. There can be little doubt that the US has a huge historical carbon debt and should recognise its responsibility for contributing to solving this problem.
posted on January 26, 2004 08:37:26 PM new
Not to worry, Helen; we're rapidly devolving to become a third-world country ourselves ( -hence we'll soon stop hogging all the atmosphere as our own personal pollution playground) . Think how dashing you and I will look riding atop asses and carrying live chickens to barter in the marketplace
You *will* be able to maintain an ass, won't you???
posted on January 26, 2004 09:27:26 PM new
It could be worse, you might be faced with the prospect of riding a jackass to market in hopes of bartering your own ass
posted on January 26, 2004 09:59:57 PM new
According to a program I saw recently, China has 2% of the worlds cars and their number is growing at 40% or 50% annually!
Interestingly, they have 15% of the worlds auto accidents too. Apparently they have not developed or put to use our types of road safety rules.
