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ergy by 2020, and has earmarked a staggering US$140 billion for an ambi-
tious program of wind farms from Xinjiang province to Jiangsu province in the
east, due for completion in 2020. Also China leads the world in the production
of solar cells, and aims to reduce energy use per unit of GDP by more than
15% before 2015.
Rice fields, Yangshuo ( Click here )
GUY VANDERELST/GETTY IMAGES ©
China's authoritarian system of governance allows it to railroad through bold
initiatives, but it also encourages a heavy reliance on technological 'solutions'
and huge engineering programs to combat environmental problems. For ex-
ample, China seeks to engineer an answer for its water crisis by diverting
Yangzi River waters to thirsty north China, when sustainable solutions to water
use may be a more manageable policy.
One of China's main energy quandaries is coal. Coal is cheap, easy to ex-
tract and remains China's primary energy source, accounting for almost 70%
of power requirements. China extracts more coal than any other nation and
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