China launches week-long campaign to promote energy conservation

BEIJING -- China on Sunday launched a week-long campaign to raise awareness of energy efficiency and promote green lifestyles.

The campaign, known as National Energy Efficiency Promotion Week, aims to push ecological civilization, resource conservation and recycling, and green and low-carbon development, said a government statement.

National Low-carbon Day will be observed on June 13 this year under the theme "Low-carbon Industrial Development," according to the statement jointly issued by 14 government departments.

The campaign will feature events across the country to promote energy-saving technologies and products, green commuting and low-carbon industrial development.

China introduced National Low-carbon Day in 2013 to boost awareness of climate change and low-carbon development policies, encourage public participation and facilitate the country's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

National Low-carbon Day falls on the third day of National Energy Efficiency Promotion Week in June every year.

The Chinese government has made green development one of its major policy priorities.

The country aims to cap its total energy consumption at 5 billion tonnes of coal equivalent by 2020, according to a government plan for 2016 to 2020. This will amount to a 15-percent reduction in energy use per unit of GDP by 2020.