When the topic of U.S. energy independence comes up, people generally think of the oil-soaked but potentially unstable or hostile Middle East nations, and the danger they may pose to our national security interests and economy. And when the subject of China's economic boom comes up, there's a natural tendency to focus on the threat that may pose to U.S. jobs.

But as an important new report from the Progressive Policy Institute shows, these two topics are actually connected. In "Ill Wind From China," PPI's Jan Mazurek explains that China's economic emergence is driving increased consumption of oil and higher world oil prices, while aggravating a variety of environmental problems in the United States and elsewhere. Moreover, China's insatiable appetite for energy is pushing that country to align itself with anti-American governments like those in power in Iran, Sudan, and Venezuela, creating new threats to U.S. oil supplies and to our foreign policy goals.

China's "power surge," says Mazurek, is making the goal of energy independence a more urgent priority than ever, while amply illustrating the short-sightedness of the Bush administration's go-it-alone energy and environmental policies.

Mazurek cites four major areas of particular concern:

• Oil Prices: China's economy is arguably the single-largest factor driving world demand for oil, and boosting oil prices. In 2004, China's oil consumption grew by 850,000 barrels per day.
• Rising Mercury Emissions: More than one-third of the highly toxic mercury found in the United States comes from other countries, and China, which relies heavily on coal power for industrial energy, is probably the single biggest source. One-third of U.S. lakes and nearly one-fourth of our rivers are so contaminated with mercury that fish from these sources are deemed dangerous for human consumption.
• Air Pollution and Climate Change: China is the world's second largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the most abundant "greenhouse gas" contributing to global climate change. Yet under the Kyoto Protocol, China, as a "developing country," is initially exempt from carbon emissions limits, and the United States -- which is exempt because it has refused to ratify Kyoto -- has no real leverage to push for improvements.
• Growing Geopolitical Tension: China's emergence as one of the world's largest oil importers has driven its government to pursue an energy-first foreign policy that aligns Beijing with dangerous states like Iran and Sudan, frustrating U.S. and U.N. efforts to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons by the former and ongoing acts of genocide by the latter.

Bush administration energy and environmental policies do little or nothing to deal with these developments, and in some respects, make them more troublesome. In particular, the administration's vain belief that the United States can drill and pump its way to independence from imported oil ignores China's impact on global demand for petroleum, which will for the foreseeable future create significant upward pressure on prices, exposing our economy to inflation and potential supply disruptions. Moreover, the president's stubborn refusal to re-engage in international efforts to halt air pollution and address global climate change will help give China an excuse for similarly evading responsible steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions, while eliminating any incentive for U.S. businesses to develop the technologies that will ultimately emerge as a solution.

"The case of China vividly illustrates that the Bush administration and Congress must wake up to the reality of global environmental and energy independence," concludes Mazurek. Our country simply cannot continue to snooze its way towards a rude awakening in the form of a new energy crisis, the empowerment of dangerous states, or potentially catastrophic environmental changes that threaten the health, the prosperity, and the security of our people.