Energy, emissions goals appear cloudy for 2015

Economic and environmental officials vowed on Monday to step up efforts in the next two years to ensure China's energy and environment goals for 2015 are within reach, despite efforts in the 2011-2013 period that failed to measure up.

Experts said fulfillment of the nation's energy saving and emissions reduction targets would also lay a foundation for meeting the country's goal of slashing pollution and improving air quality by the end of 2017.

China is facing "a tough situation" in hitting its energy and emissions targets for 2015, and wide-ranging efforts must be put in place within the next two years, said Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, on a national teleconference in Beijing on Monday.