Rapid industrialization and urbanization pose challenges for the 12th Five-Year Plan
BEIJING, Nov.9, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Climate Policy Initiative has published its second "Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China," which tracks China's performance and strategies to transition to a low-carbon economy. Over the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), China achieved a 19.1 percent reduction in the energy intensity of its economy relative to 2005 levels, although overall emissions grew by 33.6 percent.
Technology upgrades delivered two-thirds of total energy intensity improvement; economic restructuring accounted for around one-quarter:
Rapid industrial growth in middle, western, and northeastern China drove up national energy consumption and carbon emissions despite an overall decrease of energy and carbon intensity in these regions.
To facilitate low-carbon growth, China employed a diverse set of policies, new implementation mechanisms, and significant financial support:
Local governments, large enterprises, and consumers played important roles in China's performance:
"Understanding how China reduced its energy intensity in the 11th Five-Year Plan will help policymakers achieve further reductions in the 12th Five-Year Plan," said Qi Ye, director of CPI Beijing. "Our review indicates that China should encourage further technology penetration, explore additional market-based policy instruments, and extend support to small and medium-sized enterprises. Key challenges include containing the growth of energy-intensive industries, particularly in the West and Northeast, accelerating growth through low-carbon development, and redirecting increasingly energy-intensive consumer behavior."
Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) is an analysis and advisory organization focused on policy effectiveness. Its mission is to assess, diagnose, and support nations' efforts to achieve low-carbon growth.