China issues five-year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emission

BEIJING - China will reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 18 percent compared with that in 2015 by the end of 2020, the cabinet announced Friday.

The government will restrict other greenhouse gas emission and start a carbon trading market in the next five years to help meet the commitment to peaking carbon dioxide emission around 2030, according to the 13th Five-Year work plan for greenhouse gas emission control by the State Council.

Total energy consumption will be kept within five billion tons of standard coal by the end of 2020, with more use of non-fossil fuels including hydropower, nuclear power, wind power and solar power, whose installed capacity would reach 340 million, 58 million, 200 million and 100 million kilowatts respectively.

Total coal consumption will be kept at about 4.2 billion tons, while smoggy regions should aim for negative coal use growth after 2017. The share of natural gas consumption in total energy consumption should be lifted to about ten percent by 2020.

China will also speed up industrial upgrades to support low-carbon industries while promoting green technologies in industrial production.

The government will also promote a green lifestyle, encouraging low-carbon consumption such as buying new-energy cars.