Home / Environment / International Cooperation Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
China, US Urged to Team Up on GHGs
Adjust font size:

US environmentalists have called on China and the United States, the world's top emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs), to work together on mitigating climate change.

 

During her recent visit to China, Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a US environmental non-governmental organization, said China's efforts to meet energy-saving targets not only helped the country improve its environment, but also demonstrated its willingness to work with other countries to solve a global problem.

 

China is striving to cut its energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent and its pollution emissions by 10 percent during the five-year period from 2006 to 2010. Meanwhile, the country is also trying to increase its use of renewable energy by 10 percent during the period.

 

"The Chinese government completed and released the National Climate Change Assessment Report at the end of last year," she said. "And the country is said to be preparing to make public its national action plan to combat global warming. The moves are really impressive."

 

She said the United States, the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the major GHGs causing climate change, had a responsibility to deal with rising temperatures. Though the Bush government withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol, the key international agreement on curbing GHGs, American NGOs have led a sustained effort to cut emissions.

 

She said that although China's per-capita carbon emissions are lower than the global average, the International Energy Agency estimates that China will overtake the United States in terms of carbon emissions by 2009.

 

Faced with such a situation, both China and the United States must accept their responsibility to protect the Earth. Close cooperation between the two countries in this area is key, she said.

 

Beinecke said helping China improve energy efficiency and develop clean energy are the NRDC's top priorities in the next decade.

 

The organization has carried out clean energy projects in China for years, said Barbara Finamore, director of the China Program. Constructing green buildings, developing clean power and promoting sustainable transportation are some of the group's projects.

 

(China Daily May 18, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous

China Archives
Related >>
- UNCCC: China Slashes Greenhouse Gases
- Global Warming Wake-up
- National Program Targets Climate Change
- Climate Meeting to Discuss Costs of Emissions Cut
Most Viewed >>
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter II
Shanghai particulate matter III1
Guangzhou sulfur dioxide II
Chongqing particulate matter III2
Xi'an particulate matter III1
Most Read
- White paper on energy
- Endangered monkeys grow in number
- Yangtze River's Three Gorges 2 mln years in the making
- The authorities sets sights on polluted soil
- China, US benefit from clean energy
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base