Corrado Clini, Italy's minister of environment, said Monday that China's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions will drive clean energy innovation and introduce new technology to the field.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Clini said China has led the world in terms of investing in innovative technology for the generation and efficient use of energy.

"If you look at data from 2006 to 2010, China is by far the largest single country worldwide in terms of total investment in clean energy. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 1.5 billion tonnes during the period," Clini said.

China's CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning reached over 1,800 million tonnes in 2010, although the emissions were reduced by 1.5 billion tonnes between 2006 and 2010, according to a report on China's low-carbon development published by the Social Sciences Academy Press at the end of November.

"China has achieved great innovation in solar and wind energy, but it is far from enough," Clini said.

Clini has been working with China for the past decade on several environmental projects, including the Sino-Italian Collaboration Program for Environmental Protection. Italy has contributed 220 million U.S. dollars toward the project thus far, which has been used to develop sustainable buildings and electric cars and train environmental officials.

Cooperation between Italy and China will likely provide a "post-Durban road map" for other countries to follow, Clini said.

"We are standing on a common platform in addressing climate change and we are working together to create a better mechanism for global cooperation," Clini said.

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