“It’s important that those who consume the products being made all
around the world to the benefit of America — and it’s our own
consumption activity that’s causing the emission of greenhouse gases,
then quite frankly Americans need to pay for that,” Commerce Secretary
Gary Locke told the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
The idea that rich-country consumers should pick up the tab for
some of China’s industrial emissions has been gaining currency
lately—but not from within the Obama administration. The argument is
that many of China’s factories churn out cheap stuff for the West, not
for domestic consumption, so those consumers are actually responsible
for the emissions. China, of course, loves the idea.
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