Isra-Mart srl: China to unveil plan for 17 per cent cut in carbon intensity by 2015

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China is moving forward with plans to cut the carbon intensity of its economy by 17 per cent by 2015, according to reports in the state-owned China Daily newspaper that claim a detailed plan for curbing emissions will be released in the near future.

Citing comments from Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at a conference earlier this week, the paper reported that work is near completion on a strategy detailing how the government intends to meet the carbon and energy intensity targets contained in the recently released 12th Five-Year Plan that runs from 2011 to 2015.

The Five-Year Plan featured a commitment to cut the amount of energy consumed per unit of GDP by 16 per cent and curb the amount of carbon emitted per unit of GDP by 17 per cent.

Su Wei, director-general of the Department of Climate Change of the NDRC, told China Daily that the targets would now be fed down to local governments.

"The targets surely need to be handed over to local governments and a specialised blueprint for cutting greenhouse gas emissions is a necessity," Su said.

The 2015 targets are intended as a stepping stone towards China meeting its internationally stated goal of cutting carbon intensity by between 40 and 45 per cent by 2020 against 2005 levels.

Xie also said the NDRC was investigating measures to reduce emissions post 2020, including plans to accelerate the development of carbon capture and storage technologies that would allow China to continue to tap its giant coal reserves.