(Voracious consumption) x (rising population) = planetary crisis | Letters

Marcus Nield of the UN's Climate Change Adaptation Unit says blaming China for is a case of 'yellow peril' hysteria, while Robin Maynard highlights the key role of population in depleting resourcesBlaming China for climate change is a clearcut case of "yellow peril" hysteria (Letters, 12 July). On average, a person in China consumes less than half of the emissions of a person in the US (7.2 tonnes per capita annually compared with 16.5 tonnes). So why all the finger-wagging at China? There's a blatant mistake recurring in carbon politics. Yes, as a nation, China emits the most carbon dioxide, but an astronomical volume of these emissions are to manufacture our goods in the west. Is it fair to maintain a voracious level of consumption in the US and UK while blaming China for producing the goods that we're consuming? Don't look at emissions in isolation. Look at them in tandem with consumption, and then we'll see where to place the burden of blame. Also, China's investments in renewables have caused the costs to plummet, from which the entire world can now benefit. China invests more than $100bn in domestic renewables every year - more than twice the level of the US, and more than the US and the EU combined.Marcus NieldClimate Change Adaptation Unit, UN Environment, Nairobi, Kenyao Your article (23 July) accurately sums up the excellent work done by the Global Footprint Network regarding our depletion of the planet's ability to support us. What, unlike GFN themselves, the article did not acknowledge is that the number of people consuming those resources is a critical, if not the critical, driver of the unfolding crisis. In 1970, our global population was less than half of the 7.6 billion we have presently. In 1970, Earth Overshoot Day fell on the 29 December: in 2018, on 1 August. Can anyone credibly claim that those two changes are not linked? Continue reading...