For Developing Nations, Exports Boost CO2 Emissions

The article I choose to read for this entry was, "For Developing Nations, Exports Boost CO2 Emissions," by Richard Harris. Basically, the article stated that although we have restrictions here in the United States about how many Co2 emissions our large companies produce, the Untied Stated is still contributing to the large amounts of gas emissions through our Exports. The article states, “Take China, for example. A few years ago, China overtook the United States as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, but Steve Davis of the Carnegie Institution for Science says, "Nearly a quarter of the emissions that are produced in China are ultimately exported to consumers elsewhere."
While I was reading this article I started thinking about the number of products we have here in the U.S. come from China. I also started thinking about all the companies here in the U.S. who are growing oversea so they can make their products worldwide. I never really thought about it this way, but could it be so the only reason they are moving over there is to bring their products back to the U.S.? I just can get a grasp on what our country is doing! Not only is it cheaper for them to make their products over there because of labor costs and what not, but they are running away from global warming because there are no restrictions in other countries. The sad thing is that the U.S. aren’t the ones who are going to take the blunt of the effects of global warming. It’s the countries that we run into and take advantage of that are going to get the blunt. It is really sad, restrictions need to be made worldwide about the amount of Co2 emissions that can be made when producing products.
The article says, “if you add our imports and subtract our exports, the study shows our carbon footprint is about 11 percent bigger than our official emissions numbers suggest. Imports make up an even bigger fraction of Europe's emissions.” That is huge! If we don’t do something soon everywhere then we are going to have some major problems.

Harris, Richard . "For Developing Nations, Exports Boost CO2 Emissions." NPR [Port Charlotte] 8 Mar. 2010: n. pag. National Public Radio. Web. 9 Mar. 2010.