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Equal emissions cuts 'unreasonable,' economists say
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-10 11:11 EFFORTS MADE BY CHINA The country has endeavored to do more in recent years. While defending China's role in emissions reduction, Hu said the government took climate change very seriously with a responsible attitude. "We have made it a strategic task to build a conservation culture and we adhere to the basic state policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment." The unusual image of China's top leaders in short-sleeved shirts instead of suits last summer might have caught attention. The government took the initiative to keep the temperature of air-conditioned public facilities at no lower than 26 degrees Celsius in the summer to save energy. The country launched a program in June to address climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions comprehensively. Under the plan, the first by a developing country, China pledged to restructure its economy, promote clean technologies and improve energy efficiency. China has set a goal of reducing energy intensity by 20 percent, and cutting total emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent, by 2010. John Rutledge, an economic advisor during the administration of former US President Ronald Reagan, described this as a "responsible plan" in April at the Boao summit in Hainan Province. In 2007, emissions of sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand in China decreased by 4.66 percent and 3.14 percent, respectively, year-on-year. There was also a 3.27 percent year-on-year drop in energy intensity, equal to saving 89.8 million tons of standard coal. China's recent move to promote its environmental agency to a full ministry known as the Ministry of Environmental Protection was expected to facilitate environmental protection. CURRENT DEADLOCK The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol have set the framework, principles and goals for international cooperation on climate change. The Protocol reflected differences in economic development, historic responsibilities and per capita emissions among countries. But world leaders failed to reach an agreement on an arrangement after 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol's obligations expire. The G8 nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- proposed during the current G8 summit to cut greenhouse gases by at least 50 percent by 2050, and urged developing countries to abide as well. But developing economies led by China and India declined to accept the targets. They were concerned that emissions cuts would suppress energy-fueled economic growth. Hu said China was still developing through industrialization and modernization, and the central task was to develop the economy and raise living standards. He also pointed out that China's per capita emissions are relatively low, and even lower if calculated in cumulative terms. The country faces mounting pressure from international transferred emissions as a result of changes in the international division of labor and the relocation of manufacturing. He insisted that wealthy nations must take the lead in reducing emissions and providing clean technology transfer and financing to support developing nations' efforts to control emissions and adapt to rising temperatures.
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