Simplistic interpretation of events driven not by analysis but by an emotional reaction. I wanted to address the above claim particularly.
Believe it or not, China cares about pollution, global warming, and the environment - certainly enough to realize that they have a serious problem. China is suffering badly because of everything from toxicity to gigantic sandstorms, and the LAST thing the government wants is popular unrest (for any reason). As an authoritarian regime, you would think China would be ideally suited to tackling pollution problems by instituting wide ranging and effective anti-pollution laws, without all the squabbling that happens in democratic countries.
In fact, that has already been happening, from banning plastic bags to investing in sustainable development and the environment as part of the 2008-2009 economic stimulus plan.
The government, although all-powerful, has a certain momentum and so do industry and the economy. I am not excusing the shameless and idiotic ways in which China has let down its people and abused its environment for decades. That is not in question. However the mistakes of the past are being addressed and China is a leader in number of green energy industries.
Plus there is a high level of corruption among communist party officials, and no shortage of money for them to accept. Polluters in China traditionally got a stack of free passes as long as they paid the right people and followed the correct song and dance routine. This is a discussion that has NOT been ignored in China and has resulted in some pretty dramatic action, including the execution of Zheng Xiaoyu, the head of the agency controlling the safety of food and drugs.
Here is an article in TIME that provides a summary of the situation, the challenges, and of course the problems.
China has an enormous demand for energy and they can’t just stop using coal because that is a primary source of electrical power. But they are taking steps to minimize dependence on fossil fuels. Here is a summary which compares China’s goals and progress with those of the US (the latter are not quoted):
There is good and there is bad, but whatever your opinion on the effectiveness of these measures you have to admit there is a heck of a lot more good than is usually acknowledged during finger-pointing sessions.