Sustainability and policy - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 497

In November 2002 the Chinese Government announced an oil strategy. It included
new fuel-efficiency standards for cars and lorries sold there. The first phase of the
standards came into effect in 2005 and the new standards ranged from 38 miles US
gallon − 1 for the lightest cars to 19 miles US gallon − 1 for heavier trucks. In 2008, the
standards will increase to 43 and 21 miles US gallon − 1 , respectively.
On a broader economic basis, China aims to quadruple its GDP from 2000 to 2020
while only doubling energy use. It will be a challenge to address its aforementioned
energy security, and social welfare and environmental, concerns. It markedly contrasts
with the years up to 2000 when energy use had been rising faster than GDP. As for the
future, China's energy demand has been greatly increasing and is expected to grow
at about 5.5% per year to 2020. By 2030, the International Energy Agency predicts
the country will account for one-fifth of the total global annual energy demand. At
the 2005 Kyoto next-phase meeting in Montreal, China declared an intent to double
its use of renewable energy to meet 15% of its electrical demand by 2020.
There is no one body responsible for energy in China; the government's energy
responsibilities are shared mainly between the State Development Planning Com-
mission, the State Economic and Trade Commission and the Ministry of Land and
Natural Resources. They respond to a set of objectives provided by China's Par-
liament, the National People's Congress. These objectives are set down in national
Five-Year Plans. In China's tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-5) it aims to increase the
share of HEP and natural gas in its energy budget. Its commitment to nuclear power
is considerable and it hopes to more than treble this. So currently there is much
emphasis on the construction of gas pipelines and terminals, as well as many more
hydroelectric schemes and nuclear plants. However, the impression given overseas
is that China's priorities lie with economic development first and environmental and
climate concerns second.
In 2006 the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report, China's Power
Sector Reforms: Where to Next? It noted that every 2 years China adds as much
power-generation capacity as the total in France or Canada. Also, the country is now
the biggest electricity consumer in the world after the USA and its needs are still
growing. It concluded that China needs to strengthen its institutional and governance
framework to use energy far more efficiently. Importantly, in greenhouse gas and
climate change terms, this is needed to tackle the environmental consequences of
coal, which fuels 70% of China's electricity. To date China has adjusted some of its
internal energy prices but much still needs to be done if it is to minimise its greenhouse
impact. Development (as opposed to sustainable development) appears to be the
overriding priority. However, in 2007 China issued reports on both climate change
and its energy policies, China's National Climate Change Programme (National
Development and Reform Commission People's Republic of China, 2007) and China's
Energy Conditions and Policies (its first white paper on energy; Information Office of
the State Council of the People's Republic of China, 2007): the former naturally had a
climate change emphasis but, importantly, so did the latter. That year China's Standing
Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, the nation's top legislative body,
approved a resolution to actively deal with climate change. It stated that China will
continue to participate constructively in international conferences and negotiations on
climate change, and advance comprehensive, effective and sustained implementation