China defends energy policy after scathing report
Beijing (AFP) Oct 28, 2008 China on Tuesday defended its energy policy a day after three influential green organisations criticised its dependence on coal. "The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development and exploration of clean energy," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters. "It has been making great efforts to increase the share of clean energy in the energy mix." A report commissioned by Greenpeace, the Energy Foundation and WWF on Monday said China's dependency on coal was creating hidden environmental and other costs worth more than seven percent of its annual gross domestic product. The unaccounted costs equated to an estimated 1.7 trillion yuan (250 billion dollars), and would be even higher if the impacts in terms of climate change were included, according to the report. China depends on coal for about 70 percent of its booming energy needs, which is one factor in its huge increase in greenhouse gas output in recent years. Jiang said China had implemented a range of policies to tackle the problem. "We have reissued a renewable energy law and encouraged development of all sorts of renewable energies, including green energy, solar energy, water and hydro energy, thermal energy," she said. "We also attach importance to the clean use of coal, and we have done a lot to control the emission of pollutants produced in burning coal." Still, China ranks alongside the United States as one of the world's two biggest emitters of the gases that are blamed for climate change. Jiang said China would continue to step up efforts to develop renewable energy. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Go Green To Fight Climate And Financial Crises Berlin (AFP) Oct 27, 2008 Greenpeace unveiled a global action plan Monday it said would not only improve the world's energy mix and stop climate change but also help end the international financial crisis. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |