China's commitments to fight climate change

Consistent efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy conservation have been made by China in an effort to fight global climate change. The following are some key facts and figures about China's achievements in cutting emissions in the past decades and its commitments for the next few years: -- China has long prioritized energy conservation. In the early 1980s, it put forward the development policy of "stressing both energy development and conservation, while giving priority to conservation." -- From 1981 to 2011, China's energy consumption experienced an annual growth of 5.82 percent, which helped sustain the 10-percent annual growth of the national economy. -- From 2006 to 2011, its energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan of GDP dropped by 20.7 percent, saving energy equivalent to 710 million tonnes of standard coal. -- By the end of 2011, non-fossil energy accounted for 8 percent of its total primary energy consumption, which meant an annual reduction of more than 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. -- By 2015, energy consumption per unit of GDP will drop by 16 percent from 2010 and CO2 emissions per unit of GDP will drop by 17 percent from 2010, according to its 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). -- By 2020, the country's non-fossil energy will account for 15 percent of its total primary energy consumption, and CO2 emission per unit of GDP will drop by 40 to 45 percent from the level of 2005. -- In September 2012, China announced the introduction of a National Low Carbon Day beginning 2013 in an effort to promote public awareness about climate change and encourage participation into low-carbon development. -- China will prioritize in making ecological progress. It will address the root cause in the deterioration of the ecological environment to reverse this trend and create a sound working and living environment for people. Also, it will contribute its share to global ecological security, according to a report delivered at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November.