China has issued a national plan on climate change to balance its economic growth with environment. While the plan sets out a series of targets for industries to accomplish, questions have been raised as to whether China can achieve the goals planned. Dandan investigates.
The plan, titled National Climate Change Program, has been the first of its kind ever issued by a developing country. Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, Ma Kai, says the adoption of the plan demonstrates China's determination in cutting emissions.
The Commission is one of the authorities that initiated the Program. "From 1990 to 2005, China's energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP dropped by 47 percent. What we've saved is equal to 800 million tons of coal. In other words, we've reduced the emission of carbon dioxide by 1.8 billion tons." The Program also details the policies and measures China will take to mitigate and adapt itself to climate change.
Ma Kai says the country is now putting more emphasis on economic measures to save energy and to cut pollutant discharge. "We plan to adopt a gradual reform of how resource products are priced, reflecting their true scarcity and their impact on the environment. The Chinese government will also continue to introduce financial and tax incentives to promote the use of energy-saving technologies and products."
According to the National Climate Change Program, China will likely mitigate carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 50 million tons by 2010 through the development of hydro-power projects. Meanwhile, bio-energy projects will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 million tons by 2010.
And wind, solar, marine and geothermal projects may help slash gas emissions by up to 60 million tons. In addition, Beijing has also unveiled a program outlining steps it would take to meet its goal of boosting overall energy efficiency in 2010 by 20 percent over 2005's level. But are these goals achievable? Last year, the country missed its targets in cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 4 percent. And instead of decreasing, pollutant emissions actually increased, though at a slower rate than before.
In an earlier interview, He Bingguang, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, pondered the failure to enhance energy efficiency. "First and foremost, it's the result of the slow process of industrial restructuring and the overheated growth of the high-energy consumption sector. It will take a while before related preferential policies, laws, regulations and projects are put in place."
Zhang Lijun, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, shares similar opinion and he expects a shift in the current situation in the near future. "In the first quarter of this year, high energy-consumption firms and products were growing fast, but the emission of sulphur dioxide was declining.
As the country reinforces its industrial restructuring program, I think we will see a turning point later this year." The measures include phasing out facilities or technologies that are heavy polluters or energy consumers, speeding up the establishment of pollution control facilities, and strengthening supervision and enforcement of environmental laws. The State Environmental Protection Administration plans to set up online real-time monitoring systems in over six thousand high energy consumption firms by the end of the year.
In addition, it will conduct inspections over emission reduction facilities across the country semi-annually.
For Biz China, I'm Dandan
TY: To stimulate the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, the international community has created a system to make things work more cost-efficiently. The Clean Development Mechanism, or CDM, created under the Kyoto Protocol, allows industrialized nations that fail to meet their own targets to fund projects in the developing world to make up the gap.
Effective in early 2005, the Kyoto Protocol requires 38 industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2012, by an average of over 5 percent below their 1990 levels. To take a close look at how the mechanism is working in China, I spoke with Ju Kuilin, President of the non-profit China Clean Development Mechanism Fund, which was formed by seven authorities including the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance.
The fund was officially launched in March. Ju Kuilin started by briefly introducing the operation of the fund.
(Q&A)
TY: That was Ju Kuilin, President of the China Clean Development Mechanism Fund, talking about the development of CDM projects in the country.
By the end of January, China had approved nearly 300 CDM projects. The country and the United Nations are working to set up a carbon trading exchange in Beijing, a move that could establish the Chinese capital as an important center for the multibillion-dollar global trade in carbon credits.
Apart from reducing emissions from existing industries, making adjustments to the current industrial structure is another method required to balance the environment and growth. Reinforcing the pollution-free service industry is considered a key aspect of environmental progress. That is coming up next. |
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