Government: China to take further steps against climate change

Sep 15, 2009, 11:51 GMT

   Beijing - China plans to unveil new plans to battle climate change, but maintains that the main responsibility lies with the industrialized nations, a senior official said Tuesday.

   President Hu Jintao was to make an important speech at a United Nations climate summit in New York next week, announcing further policies and measures to be taken by China, Deputy Foreign Minister He Yafei said.

   He did not elaborate whether those were already known policies or new measures.

   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to host a special summit on September 22.

   Chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua said that China had a deep appreciation of the importance and urgency of climate change and wanted to take on responsibilities in keeping with its stage of development and capacities.

   The vice director of Beijing's powerful National Development and Reform Commission said 'fair and just solutions' had to be found at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

   'Climate change is mainly caused by the longstanding emission practices of developed countries,' Xie said. 'The developed countries should first make deep cuts in their emissions and keep their promises for technical and financial support to developing countries.'

   China has vastly improved its energy efficiency over the past years, and will reach its goal, as stipulated by its five-year plan, to reduce its energy consumption based on its economic output by 20 per cent by 2010.

   The share of renewable energy is to increase to 9 per cent in 2009, following 7.5 per cent the previous year, Xie said. Climate protection and energy efficiency would also be included in China's national development plans, he added.

   China has overtaken the United States as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Two-thirds of the China's energy needs are produced from coal.

   While the majority of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stem from the industrialised nations, emerging economies like China and India are the biggest contributors to their further increase.