China eyes implementing Paris Agreement
- By Zhang Lulu
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, November 5, 2016
Carbon emission reduction in China
Xie announced on Tuesday's press conference that between 2011 and 2015, China's carbon intensity, or carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, decreased by 20 percent, well above its 17 percent goal. In 2015, the consumption of non-fossil fuel accounted for 12 percent of primary energy, exceeding the country's original target of 11.4 percent.
Zou attributed the better-than-expected performance to the Chinese government's determination and concrete efforts in pursuing a low-carbon growth and tacking climate change, as well the country's slower economic growth and the weakening international demand in recent years.
China pledged to peak its carbon emission by 2030, which Zou believed is achievable but requires arduous effort.
The greenhouse gasses today are a result of the world's accumulative carbon dioxide emissions that can be traced back as early as the Industrial Revolution more than two centuries ago, Zou explained to a group of foreign and Chinese journalist in Beijing on Friday. Developed countries, though comprising only 20 percent or so of the world's population, account for 70 percent of the world's accumulative carbon dioxide emissions. For instance, the accumulative emissions from the United States and EU member countries during 1850 and 2012 were respectively 2.6 times and 2.4 times that of China.
Zou said that developed countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada peaked their carbon emissions at a high rate of around 20 tons per person annually, and EU and Japan at around 10 tons. He expected China, which is still a developing country, to peak at around 10 tons per person. "This will be a great contribution to the humanity in tackling climate change," he said.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)