China has begun promoting an aggressive reduction in emissions and has talked about a 40 to 45 percent reduction in energy intensity, but talks have stalled because it is refusing to accept international monitoring of its emission levels. This refusal of transparency harkens back to the Beijing Olympics where China moved air quality monitoring devices around the city and away from heavy polluters to make it look like its air quality was better than it was. With this track record, how can China expect the world to be happy with an arrangement where they police themselves?

While the rest of the world is moving toward greater government transparency, and extremely open access to information, China continues to erect barriers to greater communication. While there are signs that China understands the importance of sustainability, it’s difficult to accept their sincerity without a system to monitor their progress from an impartial and international vantage point.

Read more related Spatial Sustain posts: