China wants population reflected in outcome of climate talks
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China has called for the impact of population to be factored into the final result of the UN climate change conference.
"A solution to climate change is closely related to population management. China's experiences show that long-term, balanced development can only be achieved through population management and other effective measures," Zhao Baige, vice minister of China's National Population and Family Planning Commission, told reporters on the sidelines of the UN conference Thursday.
Delegates from more than 190 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to forge a new deal to continue global efforts against climate change after the expiration of Kyoto Protocol in 2012.
Zhao said climate change was more than an environmental issue, and it should be dealt with in a comprehensive way, which also took into account population and health, among other issues.
"There is a strong interrelationship between population growth and climate change. China's population policy goes beyond population. It is aimed at a coordinated and sustainable development of population with economy, society, resources and environment," she said.
China, the world's most populous country, has effectively slowed down excessive population growth by a family planning policy introduced in the 1970s.
Zhao said population management had been conducive to the global fight against climate change, resulting in less greenhouse gas emissions.
Official figures show the country's birth rate went down from more than 1.8 percent in 1978 to around 1.2 percent in 2007, resulting in 400 million fewer births cumulatively.
"Such a decline in population growth leads to a reduction of 1.83 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions in China per annum at present," Zhao said.
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