Shenzhen leaps to top of efficiency list in 2 yrs

City joins others that made progress in environmental quality and use of energy

Shenzhen made great leaps in energy efficiency and environmental quality in the past two years, as did Taizhou, Zhejiang province, but Beijing lost ground, according to a recent study.

Using an index developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Accenture Plc, a multinational management consulting company, 100 cities were examined for their "resource and environmental sustainability". Several indicators were used, such as water and energy consumed per GDP unit, the recycle rate for industrial waste, emissions of sulfides, the intensity of fine particulates in the air and carbon emissions per capita.