The argument could be made that it is now the turn of China and India to have their time in the smog, degrading the environment but two wrongs do not make a right.

In the US, coal burning power plants in twenty-eight eastern and central states emit a lot of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide that causes acid rain. Higher levels of soot have resulted in lung diseases that affect close to a million people and greater levels of smog have contributed to increased deaths. Although, the United States has been in the forefront of contributing emissions and pollutants to the natural atmosphere as well as to the environment, it lags behind other nations when it comes to adopting solutions to reduce its carbon footprints. Individual states like California have taken the lead to do their part to adhere to global climate agreements and are in the vanguard in the search for sustainable and non-polluting sources of energy like solar, wind and fuel cell technology, among others.

China's amazing growth and productivity has resulted in amazing levels of pollution. The negative side effects include acid rain, high levels of mercury and other pollutants in the rivers, a coastline that has algal red tides, which have wiped out marine life in the vicinity. There is a haze of smog that lingers over the major metropolitan cities for days on end and there are rising rates of cancer for many people in the vicinity as well as, cases of lead poisoning in children. The government of China is taking drastic measures to reduce, if not eliminate, the pollution by the time of the 2008 Olympics.

India's impressive growth has meant tons of wastes are released in the rivers. Many rivers are dying if not already bereft of any life. Water borne diseases are the major sources of mortality for children. Air pollution is on the rise as soot and smog are created by unregulated emissions from many industrial areas. Temporary shantytowns springing up next to building sites and new development zones add to the pollution clogging the environment. The Indian government has seriously started to address these issues with a growing sense of urgency as the problems become more drastic.

China and India have large populations but both nations emit lesser amounts of carbon dioxide than the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide the USA.

However, in the case of the global climate agreement, the United States should not be held to a higher environmental standard then the rest of the world but the United States should be held to the same high standards as the rest of the world.

Learn more about this author, Ravi Embar.
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