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Environment: Smart progress made on the green front

By Xiao Wan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-06 07:54

China will continue its drive toward energy conservation, emissions reduction, and environmental protection in 2009, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday.

In the past three years China's energy consumption per unit of GDP has dropped by 10.08 percent, Wen told lawmakers in a report to the annual session of the National People's Congress.

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China's energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by 4.59 percent in 2008 from a year earlier. Last year the country reported reduction in both chemical oxygen demand (COD), a main index of water pollution, and the total emission of sulfur dioxide, a main air pollutant, by 4.42 percent and 5.95 percent respectively from the previous year.

The Chinese government will emphasize energy conservation in the three key areas of industry, transportation and construction. It will also speed up the construction of 10 key energy conservation projects.

The government will implement energy-saving measures for power generators, boilers, automobiles, air-conditioners and lighting products. It will also accelerate the development of clean energy, such as nuclear, wind and solar power, he said.

This year the government will continue its efforts in closing outdated power-generating facilities. Total capacity to be closed will amount to 15 gigawatts (gW), according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

China has set an ambitious goal of cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and major pollutants emissions by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010.

"Given the continuous efforts China has made, the country can achieve this target," said Zhang Jianyu, China program head of the US-based Environmental Defense Fund.

However, Lin Boqiang, director of the Center for Energy Economic Research of China at Xiamen University, said it is "really challenging" for China to realize the 20-percent target.

The positive achievements in 2008 were partly caused by the global financial crisis, he said.