25 years ago, the Chinese government forcibly suppressed a protest in Tiananmen Square demanding greater political freedoms. It was an amazing time–the Berlin Wall was crumbling, Soviet control over eastern and central European states weakened, and it seemed that those voices for political freedom were being raised in China. The Chinese government does not allow anyone to commemorate the protest, but residents of Hong Kong have special privileges and they held a candlelight vigil in honor of the protesters who lost their lives. The Chinese central government has no intention of allowing similar freedoms elsewhere in China. The photograph below is one of the enduring symbols of the protest as a single man showed his defiance to a line of tanks.
US President Obama has announced a plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants in the US by 30% by the year 2030. This act is the first decisive action taken by the US to confront the problem of climate change, and it will be examined carefully by other countries, most importantly China. No other country is willing to make such a commitment until and unless the US took the lead since the US is one of the top emitters of greenhouse gases in the world (with only 3% of the global population). Now we will see if the world can finally make progress on this issue.
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