The Statistics Behind a Green Olympics

The use of solar and geotherma I energy, wind power and other renewable forms of energy to run Beijing＇s Olympic venues has deeply impressed the world with the country＇s commitment to developing energy alternatives, China has always been handicapped by a relative shortage of domestic energy resources, and its energy efficiency has remained low for many years, rendering its energy consumption per unit of GDP among the highest in the world.     

Energy Savers

The government has mandated a reduction in energy use this year, but many wonder whether and how that goal can be achieved Pressure is mounting for China to reduce its energy consumption, but many say the government's target of cutting energy use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 4 percent this year will be a major hurdle. Nearly half of the provinces and     

Nuclear Energy——Proceed with Caution

AT the National Energy Work Conference in January 2011,the Chinese government doubled its 2020 target for installed nuclear energy capacity which was set four years ago,to 86 million kW.The country’s current energy shortage partly drives the decision as does its ongoing commitment to the international community for energy conservation and emission reduction.According to up-to-date statistics from the Nuclear Energy Institute of the U.S.that were made available at the conference,the number of nuclear power plants under construction in China accounts for more than 40 percent of the global total,ranking China first in the world for number of plants under construction.     

Biomass Energy： An Indispensab Link in the Circular Economy

BIOMASS energy is currently the fourth largest energy source in the world, exceeded only by coal, petroleumand natural gas. It can be obtained from plants, animal and human excrement, garbage and organic wastewater. The importance of developing green energy, particularly its development from waste materials, is ever more widely recognized, so in China, projects involving self-contained, consumer-producer energy loops are encouraged.     

Application of Alternative Energy in the Countryside

LIUMINYING Village, 30 kilometers south of downtown Beijing in Daxing District, is a modest settlement, populated by modest, hardworking people. But their commitment to achieving energy diversity has marked them out as true conservation pioneers. The solar-powered street lamps of the village are the most visible manifestation of a concerted drive by the villagers and municipal authorities to promote alternative energy.     

Titan of China＇s New Energy and Heavy Chemical Industries

ORDOS, in contrast to many places in China that are either lowering or removing their foreign investments thresholds, is raising its own requirements in this regard. The city has rejected certain projects ¨C coveted by many other cities around the country ¨C worth more than RMB one billion. No matter what its value, an investment project in the energy and heavy chemicals sectors will get a green light only if at least 50 percent of its prospective mining output can be processed locally into higher added-value products. And whatever economic benefits they might bring, high energy-consumption or pollutant projects are strictly forbidden from the city's soil. This "restrictive" perspective has not scared off investors with deep pockets. Last year, the city signed investment contracts of a higher value than certain coastal provinces.     

Wind and Water

At the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015, China reiterated its commitment to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by the same year. The European Union also announced plans to cut emissions by 40-44 percent of 1990 levels by 2030, and 80-95 percent by 2050.     

More in the Pipeline

With the government's decision to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,the race is on in China to switch to clean fuel.Some of the biggest energy companies in the country have increased investment in the exploration of natural gas.China National Offshore Oil Corp.(CNOOC),the largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in the country,for example,has announced that gas will account for 30 percent of its production by 2025,growing to 50 percent in 2035.     

Well-known Green Buildings Around the World

Manhattan's Conde Nast Building is a 48-story skyscraper whose solar cells and gas-powered solid fuel cells supply 10 percent of its annual power needs. The 53-story Commerzbank Head- quarters in Frankfurt is a spike-shaped tower with a number of sky gardens, which provides a communal space for its employees and customers. A structure with no definable shape, the City Hall of London, designed by Foster & Partners, requires merely 25 percent of the energy used in compa- rable modern office …     

Green Economy Roadmaps UNEP-China Partnership

THE rise of China is gaining more momentum thanks to its increasing economic, political, and strategic weight in the AsiaPacific region, and its outstanding performance in a post-crisis global economy. With an average annual economic growth of 9.5 percent over the past two decades, China has remained the single largest contributor to global growth over the past few years. However, its economic thrust has come at high energy and environment costs： it is the second-largest energy consumer and one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters worldwide.     

ECONOMY

正Circular Economy A resource recycling system will see its basic establishment in China by 2025, according to a five-year plan released by the National Development and Reform Commission on July 7.The plan specified that the country's energy and water consumption per 10,000 yuan($1,540) of GDP will be lowered by about 13.5 percent and 16 percent, respectively, by the year from the 2020 levels.     

Eating Up Less Energy

Using too much energy in China is taboo, but stronger discouragement is needed Energy consumption reduction is working, but too slowly. China's energy consumption per unit of the GDP dropped by 1.23 percent in 2006 from the previous year, accord-     

Energy Transformation on a Roll

ACCORDING to the National Statistics Bureau, China＇s gross energy consumption in 2009 mounted to 3.1 billion tons of standard coal, confirming China＇s image as a real powerhouse of global energy consumption. Although its per capita consumption is still low - the equivalent of 2.33 tons of standard coal in 2009 as compared to 10.37 tons in the United States, unfortunately China＇s energy composition is dominated by coal, whose utilization is currently inefficient. Then there are its other drawbacks - the scars and stresses sustained by environments during mining and burning. Hence,     

Seek Every Advantage for Quick Development——An Interview with Yun Feng,Municipal Party Committee Secretary of Ordos

Prior to the 1990s, the city of Ordos was the underdog of Inner Mongolia on all counts. Almost half of its territory was desert, 29 percent was prairie land and 19 percent was barren hills. Plagued by severe soil erosion, sandstorms and drought, of the city's seven banners (county-level administrative divisions) and one district, five were below the national poverty line. Much has changed since then. In 2006, the city's GDP hit RMB 80 billion, and income per capita stood at US $6,600. All eight banners and the district reported revenues exceeding RMB 100 million. Two actually topped all in the autonomous region. What caused these dramatic changes? Ordos Party Secretary Yun Feng elaborates on the city's secrets of success in an interview with China Today.     

New Prospects for Hainan-ASEAN Collaboration

Ever since China made its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060,its thriving green economy,characterized by the prevalence of carbon credit transactions and the emergence of new renewable energy technologies,has no doubt provided a model to emulate for Southeast Asian developing economies also in pursuit of sustainable development.On the other hand,the vast areas of tropical rainforests in the region,as an important carbon sink in the fight against climate change,have made an ideal resource for carbon credit trading.     

Greener Prospects for Sino-Finnish Trade

正More than six decades after the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Finland are finding new opportunities in the environmental business. Finland's cutting-edge energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies could help China achieve its environmental protection goals,     

Dynamic Development

Zhejiang Province has nurtured an economic environment that fosters the growth of its private sector Zhejiang Province, one of China's leading economic performers, ranked fourth after Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces with a gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.3 trillion yuan in 2005, while its per-capita income of 27,552 yuan also put it in fourth place after Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin municipalities. The province's GDP has risen from 12th to fourth place since China began its opening up and reform in 1978, with an average yearly increase of 13 percent, and it is the fourth province to have a GDP of over 1 trillion yuan.     

NUMBERS

<正>8.6 bln Number of payments Chinese banks dealt with from mobile services in the second quarter of 2017,up 40.5 percent from a year ago $210 mln Amount the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank plans to provide in debt financing to tap into renewable energy in Egypt 62 mln Overseas trips made by Chinese tourists in the first half of 2017     

Jiangsu, a Pioneer of Education Reform

JIANGSU is one of the most advanced provinces in China, and education has played a key role in its rapid economic development. In this coastal province, 50 to 80 percent of the local financial income is used for education, and human resources are now its largest asset. The high level of basic education in Jiangsu is well known throughout China. Zhou Depan, former deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Education Committee, and present director of the Jiangsu Provincial Education Socie…     

Reviewing China's Energy Policies

On December 26,the Information Office of the State Council issued its first ever white paper on China's energy conditions and policies."China's energy development emphasizes thrift,cleanliness and safety,"says the white paper titled"China's Energy Conditions and Policies,"under the joint compilation of the Energy Bureau and the Institute of Macro Economics, both under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Officials from the NDRC were interviewed by Xinhua News Agency on issues about the white paper.Here are excerpts of the interview.