Bejing - The ancient Chinese custom of foot binding is being studied by China as one means of reducing their carbon foot print. With just over 1.3 billion people China represents a full 20% of the world's population. With one in five people on the planet a resident of China this represents 20% of the word's feet as well.
Huanjing Kexue of the Chinese Journal of Environmental Science says "A 10% reduction in the size of Chinese feet would go along way to reducing our carbon footprint." Kexue also points out that it is well known that "Man is a carbon based life-form."
Australia Pacific Greenpeace board chair Ann de Wachter mocks the Chinese Plan.
"Foot binding will just compress the problem and probably make it worse."
"They will still have the same amount of carbon only on a smaller footprint."
"Smaller feet for the Chinese are probably a good thing though."