China’s carbon emissions per unit of economic growth have plunged over the past five years as the country has increasingly turned to greener technologies.
According to a report released by Tsinghua
The news will be welcomed by Chinese policy makers, including Xie Zhenhua, vice chair of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, who last month warned that U.S. style emissions per person would be a “disaster for the world.”
The challenge for a rapidly growing (and urbanizing) China will be to continue on this path.
Yet the difficulty of doing so was underscored in a report released in September by the European Commission, which warned that although China’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions currently stand at 6.8 tons compared with the United States’ 16.9 tons, the Chinese figure could pass the U.S. before the end of the decade.
“Due to its rapid economic development, per capita emissions in China are quickly approaching levels common in the industrialised countries of the Annex I group under the Kyoto Protocol,” the report noted. “In fact, present CO2 emissions per person in China are now equal to those of Italy, higher than France, but still smaller than that of Germany.”
“However, if the current trends in emissions by China and the industrialised countries including the USA would continue for another seven years, China will overtake the USA by 2017 as highest per capita emitter among the 25 largest emitting countries.”
China has committed to spending 2 trillion yuan ($313 billion) on developing green energy and reducing carbon emissions over the next five years, with a view to cutting per-unit GDP energy consumption by 16 percent compared with 2010.
The country has also announced a number of practical steps aimed at making this a reality, including the announcement this month that it will phase out power-draining light bulbs over the next five years.
According to AP, China plans to “ban imports and sales of 100-watt-and-higher incandescent bulbs from October 1, 2012, in an attempt to save energy and curb climate change.”
Bans are also set to be imposed on 60-watt-and-higher bulbs from October 1, 2014 and 15-watt-and-higher old-style bulbs from October 1, 2016. “The time frame of the last step may be adjusted according to an evaluation in September 2016,” it reported, based on a statement by the National Development and Reform Commission.
Still, as China Daily noted reporting on the new Tsinghua University study, there are genuine concerns moving forward, not least how to control coal use with local governments remaining so reluctant to use less energy while pursuing economic growth.
“Local authorities still have a strong desire for economic expansion,” China Daily quoted Qi Ye, editor-in-chief of the report, as saying.
“If you consider their growth targets together, you can see they are significantly higher than the annual growth goal of 7 percent set by the central government for the country's 12th 5 Year Plan (2011-2015) period.
“As a result, by 2015, the annual consumption of energy is expected to be equivalent to burning 4.6 billion tons of coal a year, according to the provincial targets…That's 500 million more tons than would be entailed by the amount of energy consumption called for in the central government's estimates.”
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yang zi
China need to stand up and shape up, take the burden of making a greener world, set an example for the developing & developed countries. no matter what others do, China should lead in saving the planet. Use its authoritrain power to regulate engergy consumptions and CO emmissions before it is democratized and getting stuck in the democratic infightings. this would be a nice parting gift from CCP to the world.
Cam
@yang zi,
Great, I totally agree with you.
Yang zi
Which part? Authoritarian rule is good?
Cam
Of course no. I just agreed on your wishful thinking!
have a nice weekend, anyway.
John X
I agree with you Yang zi, China is at the beginning of its development and can more easily make changes than a fully developed country can. Plaus, its experience in creating a green energy program for its undeveloped areas would actually bring an opportunity to present similar development to the rest of the world.
If China becomes the forefront of a sustainable energy program for developing countries it could create a strong economic base for the next 50 yrs. Also building and helping rural villages around the world develop and have energy self sufficiency would act as a soft approach to the world.
Plus I don’t believe its possible for China to create full devlopment using non renewable energy such as coal, oil etc. without causing excessive destruction to its environment and its own peoples health.
There is more than one way to skin a cat and a strong move away from non renewables to self sustaining energy would in all likely hood be a win/win though it may take them the next 100 years to fully implement it.
Yang zi
Just like strict California emission standards stimulated clean cars, China’s regulations can stimulate world clean energy tech.
Justsayno
The thing with developing nations like China and India is that the population look at western citizens as models of successful living. They see Americans drive full size SUVs, living in 5000sq ft 6 bed mansions, fully air conditioned, and guess what they want that too. The problem of course is that there are far more people in Asia and if a quarter of the Asians can successfully emulate their western counter parts, the world would run out of resources and become totally polluted.
The real solution to the issue thus is for the western citizens to set better examples for rest of the developing world. China on the other hand have to educate it’s own people that driving around Porsche cayennes isn’t as cool as driving a Prius or even better taking the subway.