China’s energy policy significantly influences the global environment and economy. China’s National Committee hosted China Energy 2020, a forum that explored how China can reach its economic, environmental, and energy goals while reconciling the fact that it is the world’s biggest energy consumer and generator of greenhouse gas emissions.
The State Council on Saturday, April 4 of this year announced plans to put in place a system of conservation standards designed to cap energy consumption for all energy-intensive industries by 2020.
According to a statement released by the national government, the energy initiative will enable 80 percent of China’s energy efficiency standards to be on par with international standards within the same time frame. The plans require governments of all levels, local and central, to invest heavily in research and personnel training for energy conservation.
Sources:
https://www.ncuscr.org/content/china-energy-2020
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-04/04/content_20002113.htm
This is refreshing to hear. There has been a lot of positive developments over the past few weeks in terms of China’s effort to shrink their carbon footprint. A lot of global environmental organizations are looking at China like a hawk on its prey.
Details! — that’s where the devil lives. That’s also crucial politically: without pinning down who is responsible for what, all can try to push adjustment onto someone else. That’s true in management, too: “cut costs” is an empty nostrum without saying who will cut how much. That’s almost as bad as across-the-board cuts, which represent an abdication of management from setting priorities.
Addendum: this contrasts with past silence on these issues, and with denial in the US for fear of attacks by the right for “big government” in the face of the “myth” of global warming, and potentially by environmentalists for “being soft.” Better to keep your head down and avoid the issue….
Is China looking to cut overall energy consumption, or just non-renewable energy consumption?
I’m interested how this will look in practice. Are they going to set rations of some sort? Or are they just going to make sure that efficient equipment is a requirement?
This reminds me of an agreement between China and the US, the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters, on combating climate change at the end of last year. Renewable and nuclear energy accounted for 9.8 percent of China’s energy mix in 2013, and China promised to double that percentage by 2030. This news shows China’s progress in fulfilling the agreement?