China: ‘Top Priority to Developing Renewable Energy’

Last year, at the China-US Conference on Climate Change, I noticed that when really pressed to answer for their horrible emissions records, both China and the US would just kind of point fingers at each other. It was still the “why should I clean up when I have a dirty neighbor?” mentality. Thankfully, this Cold War “you first; no, you first” mindset is starting to melt away faster than the ice caps.

In China’s first-ever paper on energy conditions, titled China’s Energy Conditions and Policies, the upcoming superpower has vowed to move forward with renewable, clean energy as a means of powering it’s tremendous economy. The paper is really less a comprehensive roadmap for the future than a vague update on China’s overall energy policies. Still, it serves as a promise of China’s dedication to reducing emissions.

Highlights from the paper include:

“China gives top priority to developing renewable energy.”

“China concentrates on research into the basic theories of … large-scale utilization of renewable energy.”

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“China has set the goal of building a resource-conserving, environment-friendly society, and is endeavoring to coordinate energy development with environmental protection.”

“China focuses on research into conversion from fossil, biomass and renewable energy resources to hydrogen, and high-efficiency hydrogen storage, transmission and distribution technology.”

The paper also rightly notes that in the last 25 years, China’s economy grow by 9.8 % annually with only a 5.6 % annually increased rate of energy consumption increased.

References and Resources

Full Text: China’s Energy Conditions and Policies | People’s Daily Online

List of Countries by CO2 Emissions | Wikimedia

List of Countries by Greenhouse Gas Emissions Per Person | Wikimedia

Changing the model of economic development | China Daily

China Promises to Promote Clean Energy | Associated Press, wtopnews.com

Photo Source:

Solar Water Heater, Xidi China | Flickr

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