Carbon Dioxide

According to the news, the USA is responsible for 22% of world carbon dioxide emissions, and the EU for only 13%. No surprise there, I suppose. China already accounts for 12% and that number's only going up. Why isn't anyone there smart enough to see that it's a really bad idea to go from what - as I understand - used to be a nation of cyclists to a nation of motorists is A Really Bad Idea? Prevention is surely better than cure; it must be easier for China than for the US or EU to avoid being dependent on the car. But what are the chances of this being anything other than a total disaster?

It's easy to see how little difference it makes whether I walk or drive to the shops this week... and yet, I'm about to check Autotrader for the latest Prius prices anyway... I do feel that having used motorised transport really quite little in the last three years, compared to your average Briton, I should be excused the occasional roadtrip, but I know there are those amongst my friends who'd say no use of a car is excusable (hey, Becca B? Stephen?)...