China has underlined its commitment to tackling climate change by putting energy and environmental performance at the heart of its latest Five Year Plan (FYP).
The draft of the country’s 12th FYP, covering the period of 2011-2015, includes specific targets for energy intensity, carbon intensity and non-fossil fuel generation. The 12th FYP is the first to mention climate change, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The 12th Plan has been submitted to the National People’s Congress for review and is expected to be approved this month. It includes targets for economic growth and industrial output as well as policies covering economic restructuring and social management.
According to the WRI-backed website ChinaFAQs.org, the draft 12th FYP includes a full paragraph detailing China’s commitment to international cooperation in the climate change field and discusses issues such as climate finance, technology transfer and adaptation to climate change.
To tackle carbon emissions, the government wants to continue the country’s successful track record in reducing carbon intensity (carbon emissions per unit of GDP) and energy intensity (energy consumption per unit of GDP). It has also pledged to put in place “well-equipped statistical and monitoring systems for greenhouse gas emissions, energy conservation and emissions reductions” to ensure these policies are tracked and properly implemented.
The Plan incorporates a goal of 11.4% non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption by 2015. The five-year target for wind energy is 70GW of additional capacity while for nuclear the plan is to install 40 GW by 2015.
It also wants to install 5GW of solar energy by 2015 and develop 120GW of hydropower along the Jinsha, Yalong and Dadu rivers.