NYTimes ran this piece yesterday about how China plans to become the world’s leader in electric cars in three years.

takepart.com linked to the article, commenting that, “And, it seems that because China never really got into the game with gas-powered vehicles, the country is well-positioned to do this, because it’s just skipping the current technology and going straight to the new hybrid/electric technology.” This leap-frogging of development has been brought up by contacts in the field as well, but it’s good to see the idea manifested in an actual quantitative example.

I feel like tides are starting to turn, so I’m not always searching searching for sources to back up my hopefulness about China now. I heard Al Gore speak on Monday at the Boston Speakers Series. Gore made a point that I really liked–he is also extremely optimistic about climate change. crisis or opportunity? Gore made the point that people who are avid to impact change don’t want individuals to think that it’s too late to avert substantial climate change–if it were too late, this would mean more business as usual. We’re not over any kind of tipping point yet, so don’t stop making behavoiral changes because they all add up to something substantial. Chinese kids in environmental education programs tell us that it’s just one plastic bag, but it’s one plastic bag times every person who is mindful of the way that he is impacting his environment.

Gore brought up climate refugees in Bangeladesh and in Darfur, and it made me wonder if it will take being personally affected by climate change to have strong feelings about it. This makes me think of developing our sense of place and how important this is towards fostering our feelings about  sustainability.  I always hold with me the sense of place that I had growing up on the lake in Maine, and this helped me to feel this sense again at Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, China in 2005. Previously in this web space, I’ve asked how to teach this sense of place?