It seems that China is surpassing the United States on at least one standard.

China has already overtaken the US as the world's "biggest polluter", a report to be published next month says.

The research suggests the country's greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.

The University of California team will report their work in the Journal of Environment Economics and Management.

They warn that unchecked future growth will dwarf any emissions cuts made by rich nations under the Kyoto Protocol.

Such analysis demonstrates why any Kyoto-style agreement that left India and China out of the picture was absurd and why 95 senators voted for a resolution telling President Clinton not to send such an agreement to the Senate.

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