Premier: Energy consumption, pollution drops
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-05 10:21

China reported reductions in energy consumption as well as chemical oxygen demand and total sulfur dioxide emission last year, Premier Wen Jiabao said at the annual parliament session on Wednesday.

In 2007, China saw a 3.27 percent year-on-year drop in energy consumption for each unit of GDP, Wen said in his report to the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress.

For the first time in recent years, China reported a reduction in both chemical oxygen demand and the total emission of sulfur dioxide, by 3.14 percent and 4.66 percent respectively from the previous year, he said.

Wen attributed the reductions to the nation's energy conservation and environment protection efforts in the past five years.

"We gave high priority to conserving resources and protecting the environment," he said. "Obligatory targets for saving energy and reducing emissions were set in the Outline of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development."

Wen said this year would be crucial for meeting these targets.

He spelt out plans to close down backward production facilities in the electricity, steel, cement, coal and papermaking industries, and develop advanced production facilities in these industries.

The country would focus on energy conservation in key enterprises and construction of key projects, and develop energy conservation and emission reduction technologies as well as clean and renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar energy, he said.

Wen stressed pollution control in major river valleys and regions, protection of rural drinking water.

While national standards would have stricter limits for discharge of pollutants in key river valleys, Wen said resource conservation and environment protection should become Chinese way of life.

"We will enhance public awareness of the importance of a culture of conservation and encourage the entire nation to participate in building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society," he said. "Resource conservation and environmental protection must continue from generation to generation to make our mountains greener, waters cleaner and skies bluer".