Carbon intensity goals to be met

BEIJING - China will take measures to fulfill its promise of cutting carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, Zhang Ping, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a news conference on Sunday.

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Carbon intensity is the amount of carbon by weight emitted per unit of energy consumed.

Zhang said specific goals are set in the draft 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), including cutting energy consumption by 16 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 17 percent, per unit of GDP from 2010 levels as well as slashing major pollutant emissions by 8 to 10 percent.

"These are effective measures in response to climate change," Zhang said.

Responsibility for meeting the targets will be divided among regions and related businesses, making it "mandatory and binding", Zhang said.

Assessments of an official's performance will, in part, depend on how well he implemented the measures, he said.

The draft plan, which is still being reviewed by NPC deputies, also promotes the increasing use of clean energy by raising the percentage of non-fossil fuels in the energy mix to 11.4 percent from 8.3 percent in 2010.

Expenditure on green projects will be increased, while enterprises that consume high levels of fossil fuel and cause pollution will find their growth curtailed, he added.

The NDRC will ensure that local governments no longer cut power to residents to meet emission targets, a practice that was reported in the media last year.

"I must apologize for these acts, because we, as the responsible department, did not give proper guidance," Zhang said. "This was not what we'd intended."