China...

Quote: During the first three years of the plan, China's energy intensity-its energy consumption per unit of GDP-fell y just over 10 percent, saving 290 million tons of coal equivalent (tee) and reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 750 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent. This pace of energy conservation has rarely been achieved by the rest of the world.

Question: Why is that?

Comment: So my question is a bit vague but the who regards China naturally, and the why is directed as almost another question entirely. Why is it that China has been able to do this when many other countries which posses in a sense almost a better position in which to cut down coal usuage and have not? China has a huge populating, and is a vast country within itself, which again brings up the simple question that if they can do why can't we? There has been more and more talk of lowering fossil fuel consumption in the US, talk of alternative energy sources to help the transition, but there is still very little talk overall of the United States energy consumption shrinking. Granted some of the states have made some headway in manner of producing laws which regulate smog outputs from cars, but these can only do so much.