China has been in the news often, especially since President Obama’s visit this week. There has been much news-worthy information about China. They have developed a “Top-1000 Energy Consuming Enterprises Program”, which focuses on energy-efficient improvements in large enterprises. So far they have produced more than 10,000 energy saving projects. At the rate they are going, they will be able to exceed their goal of saving 100 million tons of coal – an emissions reduction of about 250 million tons of CO2. China generates 80% of its electricity from coal, the least “friendly” fossil fuel. China burns more coal than any other nation. and they are pioneering technologies in CCS. China is taking steps to capture carbon. CCS is “carbon capture and storage”, and is one approach to curbing global greenhouse gas emissions. The idea is to capture CO2 produced by coal-fired power plants and store it underground. China is starting storage experiments – some in partnership with the US.
China’s cities also are an environmental concern, but they are trying to correct this through a range of policies designed to improve building efficiency, mass transit and energy use. They are already seeing improvements. Real progress is possible in the future. China is developing systems for collecting accurate energy and emissions data. This week China and the US announced agreements to tackle climate change and grow our respective economies through clean energy. It looks like they are already on their way toward that goal. sustainable business update Nov 09 China FAQ.org
