Google's dealings with China is the big news in many papers today, but there's another major story that deserves more attention: the massive drought that has struck Southwest China. According to China Daily, the drought has affected 51 million Chinese and left 16 million people and 11 million livestock without enough drinking water. Millions more are at risk of starvation as crops and livestock die off.
The lack of water has also decreased hydropower energy creation, forcing the region to turn to depend more on coal fired power, the leading driver of climate pollution. The Chinese government is launching a massive relief effort for the region, but the question remains to whether they'll be able to address the underlying problem of climate change.
On his visit to the region, Premier Wen Jiabao said, "I believe men will not be beaten by nature, and tough time will not last forever." In this case, it may not be people being beaten by nature, but people being beaten by people: our actions have fundamentally altered our planet and only our work can help restore it.