China is in the process of its rapid industrialization and urbanization. The annual GDP growth rate was more than 10% from 1990 to 2010. Although the energy intensity of GDP has decreased by 55%, the total energy consumption and CO2 emissions still presented fast-growing trend. Meanwhile, the constraints of domestic resource and environment are strengthening increasingly. To realize the green and low carbon development through energy conservation and carbon emission reduction measures constitutes the major responses to climate change, and fits well into domestic need for sustainable development.
China has set up a target to lower the carbon intensity of GDP by 40-45% by 2020 compare to it in 2005 which covers three FYP periods. In the 11th FYP, energy intensity of GDP has dropped by 19.1% and carbon intensity decreased around 21% accordingly. If carbon intensity could decrease by 17% during the 12th FYP period, plus 15-16% during 13th FYP period, China will achieve carbon intensity decline 45% target by 2020, the high target of its autonomous (uninfluenced) mitigation action. GDP growing continuously and difficulties to improve energy efficiency further, all these make it harder to achieve the 2015’s target of carbon intensity decline than what we did in the 11th FYP. More energy must be saved and more investment in energy conservation business and technology development are definitely needed.
In order to control the incremental energy consumption and total CO2 emissions efficiently, the measures will adopted to limit the total energy consumption at a reasonable level during the 12th FYP period. All binding targets such as energy intensity, carbon intensity and energy consumption cap have been or will be assigned to each province and city. Meanwhile, the system for carbon emission data collecting and accounting is under construction. The annual verification and review will be conducted.
Besides encouraging energy efficiency improvement, China puts lots of efforts to develop new and renewable energy. Its share in total energy consumption rose to 8.6% in 2010 from 6.8% in 2005, increased supply by 70%. The growth rate, production capacity and investment rank top in the world. By 2015, 11.4% of total energy consumption will be met by the non-fossil fuels, and by 2020 15%. The annually supply will reach 700 Mtce or 490 Mtoe.
The emphases achieving low carbon development is to build low carbon industrial system. The energy consumed by manufacturing industry accounted for more than 70% of total final energy use. Manufacture, especially energy-intensive sectors contribute more to GDP that is why energy intensity of GDP in China is far higher than the developed countries. So the economic structure change and giving priority to develop hi-tech and service industry are extremely needed. Slow down investment and GDP growth rate could limit the demands to energy-intensive goods, which will lead to achieving the target of energy intensity and energy consumption cap. It will also make the transformation of economic development from growth rate oriented to quality and efficiency oriented, to harmonize the economy, resource and environment, to slow down the carbon emission growth as well.
Technical innovation is an important supporter to low carbon development. China has eliminated backward production capacity through adopting advance technologies. The energy efficiency of power industry improved quickly. In the past 5 years, 72GW inefficient power plants were shutdown and the average efficiency of thermal power has reached the top in the world. More input is going to R&D and business to develop new energy technologies. More international cooperation activities in this field are conducting too. Since China is in the process of rapid industrialization and urbanization, there are huge market demands for advanced technology utilization. Energy conservation, environmental protection and new energy industry are being the emerging sectors to promote economic growing further. We could speed up the procedure of new technology development and utilization through cooperating with others worldwide to create a win-win situation among enterprises from different countries. Currently, under the framework
of UNFCCC, we should make efforts to encourage international technology transfer and technology cooperation, enlarge the win-win opportunities to shift to low carbon development.
During the process of planning and construction of low carbon regions, many cities in China have encouraged cooperate with Japan, EU countries, USA, other countries and international organizations. More information and experiences exchange happened among countries in the field of low carbon buildings, low carbon transport system, low carbon living style and low carbon society construction. More understanding and common actions will be seen in the future.
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