NDRC:China aims to cut energy use per unit of GDP by 20% by 2015

An official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Wednesday that China is expected to achieve the target of cutting the energy consumption of per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent by 2015.

Ma Liqiang, deputy secretary general of the NDRC made the announcement in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province at the World Low Carbon and Eco-economy Conference and Technical Exposition which calls for countries and businesses to develop low carbon economy to tackle global warming and other environmental issues Wednesday.

China expects to reduce its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent, Ma said, and the country will reduce carbon emissions by at least 1.5 billion tons by 2015. In the first half of this year, China's energy consumption to produce a unit of gross domestic product (GDP) dropped 3.35 percent year-on-year.

He pointed out that with a huge population, complex climatic conditions and fragile ecological situation, China is one of the countries that impacted most by negative climate change. This has led to a great threat to agricultural production, food security, economic development, ecology protection, water resources utilization and public health, so actively tackling climate change is an urgent need for China, especially as industrialization and urbanization is rapidly speeding up.

As a developing country, China's economic level is low, the energy structure still gives priority to using coal, Ma said. Meanwhile, the efficient use of the energy resources is very low and the demand for energy is still growing, so China faces great difficulty in curbing greenhouse emissions. Developing a low carbon economy can help the country break its dependence on resources in the environment, and to push for the upgrading of industries and technology to enhance the core competence of the country, he said.

He also said the Chinese government is paying high attention to climate change and has put the development of a low carbon economy as a priority. At the UN Summit on Climate Change, in New York in September, President Hu Jintao has said that the country has incorporated climate change into the national economic and social development plan at the international summit on climate change in September.

China launched a nationwide campaign to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy and develop renewable energy sources. A series of measures including fiscal policies and encouraging green gross domestic products, as well as higher building standards and the bus, have been launched in recent years.

The government has earmarked 22.4 billion yuan in the central budget for exclusive use in energy conservation and environmental protection since the end of last year.

Ma said the NDRC will also strengthen the regulation of implementing relevant policies to cope with climate change and develop a low carbon economy.

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