By Xinhua writers Li Huizi, Yuan Ye
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature Tuesday began deliberating a draft resolution on climate change, which would likely accelerate the country's attempts to tackle the pressing challenge of global warming.
The resolution signals a proactive role of China in negotiating a possible solution to curtailing emissions.
The draft resolution, tabled at the 10th meeting of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, says, "With a spirit of being highly responsible for the survival and long-term development of mankind, China will continue constructively participating in international conferences and negotiations on climate change, and advance comprehensive, effective and sustained implementation of the international convention and its protocol."
Prof. He Jiankun, deputy head of the national expert commission for climate change, said in an interview with Xinhua, "This shows China will lean forward to work against rampant emissions and, thus, global warming."
Policy makers in the world's most populous country are taking unprecedented environment-friendly actions with pragmatic pledges.
The State Council, or China's cabinet, stated two weeks ago, "As a responsible big developing country, China fully recognizes the significance and urgency of addressing climate change, and advocates effective multinational collaboration and common efforts."
Chief climate change negotiator Xie Zhenhua, also Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told the legislature Monday that the government would "do its best with utmost sincerity" to push for a success of the 15th conference of the parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from Dec. 7 to 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
At the cost of slowing economic growth, the government set the target of cutting energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent and cutting emissions of major pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010.
Prof. He said emissions of carbon dioxide per unit of GDP were down by 47 percent from 1990 to 2005 in China, while that of developed countries dropped by only 26 percent.
NDRC statistics showed China cut its energy consumption by 10.1percent from 2006 to 2008, which means it saved 300 million tones of standard coal, and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 750 million tonnes.
From 2006 to 2008, the authorities closed energy-hogging, small coal-fueled power plants that were technologically obsolete, which comprised an aggregated annual power generation capacity of 38.26 million kilowatts.
Iron and steel mills with respective production capacities of 60.59 million and 43.47 million tonnes each year, and cement factories that produced 140 million tonnes yearly were also closed.
Prof. He, principal investigator at the Tsinghua University Low-carbon Energy Laboratory, said, "China knows well that unwise use of resources and high energy consumption won't last long."
The energy economist praised the government's policy on engaging the rest of the world in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in months leading to the COP15, on which the UNFCCC parties hope to agree a new international mechanism to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows China's per capita carbon dioxide emissions were 3.65 tonnes in 2004, about one fifth of those of the United States, one third of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and 87 percent of the world average. From 1950 to 2002, China's per capita carbon dioxide emissions ranked 92nd in the world.
Most industrialized countries, which contributed three quarters of the world's total GHG emissions in the second half of last century, fell short of commitments that they signed up in the Kyoto Protocol.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved on June 26 the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), setting a target ofcutting 17 percent of GHG emissions from the 2005 level by 2020.
If the bill is passed by the Senate, the legislation would require emissions to be cut by only 4 percent from the 1990 level.
At the same time, most developing countries argue the United States, one of the world's biggest emitters, and its wealthiest peers should, by 2020, cut by at least 40 percent of the 1990 level.
While emphasizing China's political will to curb GHG emissions, the draft resolution sticks to "common but differentiated responsibilities," a UNFCCC-endorsed principle referring to the responsibilities of both developed and developing countries in reducing their carbon footprints respective to their development abilities.
The UNFCCC notes "that the largest share of historical and current global emissions of greenhouse gases has originated in developed countries, that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low and that the share of global emissions originating in developing countries will grow to meet their social and development needs."
"China adheres to the basic framework set by the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol and the principle of sustainable development," the draft resolution says.
Qi Jianguo, an economic and environmental policy researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told Xinhua that China had the "rights to emissions and development," and should have responsibilities compatible to its development, accountability and capability.
"China's choice of greener strategy was not forced by outside pressure, but out of its innate pursuit of a healthier development," Qi said.
In building up hydropower, nuclear, solar and wind power capacities, China aims at increasing the proportion of renewable energy in total energy consumption to 10 percent by 2010 and to 15percent by 2020, with an emphasis on supplying advanced energy technologies to rural China to serve 700 million people in a more environment-friendly fashion.
Commenting on the "common but differentiated responsibilities" notion as "appropriate and useful," Prof. Robert Stavins, of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, said in an e-mail interview with Xinhua, "China and other major rapidly-growing developing countries, such as India, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, must play increasingly meaningful roles."
Wang Guangtao, chairman of the NPC Environment and Resources Protection Committee, said, "China has the development rights entitled to a developing country, therefore firmly opposes any form of trade protectionism under the guise of tackling climate change."