Why China? Why Climate? 着眼中国,关注气候

Both China and United States rely heavily on the burning of fossil fuels – coal in particular – to fuel their respective economies. Without a seismic policy shift, it is hard to imagine that either country will move away from such dependency on coal, a relatively plentiful and inexpensive source of energy. And with greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal a main culprit in global warming, this reality does not bode well for the planet.

 

Emmy award-winning photographer and mountaineer David Breashears has documented the melting of glaciers through photographic comparisons over years of expeditions. By painstakingly recreating images dating back a hundred years ago through a precise technique he calls “match photography”, his work provides graphic evidence of the melting of glaciers under Mt Everest and others along the Himalayas and Karakorum. These images are powerful, undisputable and humbling.

 

This is why the Center on US-China Relations at Asia Society is working to bring the two most important countries in the climate game together around this issue. Their cooperation is essential if there is to be a solution to the daunting climate change challenge. Reports on US-China climate collaboration can be downloaded at http://asiasociety.org/climate/

An HD version can be viewed at YouTube (1080p).

This video is a submission to the Asian Development Bank’s video contest on climate change. Image credits: David Breashears, Royal Geographical Society, Jimmy Chin, Michael Zhao, Andrew Smeall. Produced by Michael Zhao. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

Produced by Michael Zhao

Originally published on February 5, 2010

此片为参加亚洲开发银行气候变化短片竞赛作品,在全球变化的大背景下,希玛拉雅等地的高大冰川在不断消融,作为气候变化中最重要的两个国家,中国和 美国能否携手应对将是整个人类成功与否的关键。图片来源:David Breashears,英国皇家地理学会,Jimmy Chin,赵云峰,司旻。制片:赵云峰。音乐:Kevin MacLeod

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