China Will Lead on the Actions for Carbon Emission Reduction

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(Free-Press-Release.com) September 20, 2009 -- Fatih Birol, IEA chief economist, said: “If China reaches its targets—and in the past, it has reached most of its targets of this kind—its emissions [growth] will have declined so much by 2020 that it will be the country that has achieved the largest emission reductions. China will be at the forefront of combating climate change.”

China is always regarded as a country full of inefficient, carbon-intensive industries who had always resisted international calls to curb its emissions. However, the finding of IEA contrasts sharply with the widespead image of China in international community.

China's strong showing in curbing emissions will make negotiations on a new global agreement on climate change easier.

Under any such agreement, which governments are hoping to forge at a conference in Copenhagen in December, emerging economies would be required to take certain “measurable, reportable and verifiable” actions on CO2.

Source from: http://www.ftchinese.com/

These would not amount to absolute cuts in emissions, but would be designed to curb the growth of emissions, ensuring greenhouse gas output did not reach the levels expected under “business as usual” conditions. China's actions, if followed up with further tough targets, would be enough to meet these requirements.

But China recently rebuffed western demands by saying its emissions would peak “some time before 2050” – a date too distant to satisfy developed countries, and one that scientists regard as disastrous if dangerous climate change is to be avoided.

Mr Birol said China was doing the right things to curb emissions. “China has declared three very important targets: to increase the share of renewables and nuclear [power] in electricity generation, an energy intensity target, restructuring and rebalancing their economy,” he said.

China is also directing about a third of its economic stimulus to green ends, according to a research by the bank HSBC.

CARBON EMISSION REDUCTION     curb the growth of emissions     greenhouse gas output