China publishes new guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions reduction

According to reports, the Chinese government is planning to limit carbon dioxide emissions from the steel and cement sectors, two of the country’s major polluting industries.

The announcement was made in a new guideline, known as the 2014 – 20 National Plan to Cope With Climate Change, which was released to the public by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) this week. The guideline outlines a number of goals for China's greenhouse gas emissions reduction, including a cap on carbon emissions from the steel and cement sectors (manufacturers are required to keep emissions at the same level in 2020 as they are in 2015).

Yang Fuqiang, Senior Advisor on Climate and Energy, Nature Resources Defense Council, stated that this is the first time the Chinese government has publically announced something like this. Furthermore, Fuqiang noted that the limitations placed upon the steel and cement industries, which currently make up about one-fifth of the country's total carbon emissions, would be very hard to achieve. However, according to Fuqiang, if the amounts of carbon dioxide emitted by the two industries are stabilised, China will likely reach its carbon emissions peak before the previous projection of 2030.

Edited from various sources by Rosalie Starling

Sources

• Scientific American
• Environment & Energy Publishing

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/asia-pacific-rim/07112014/china-publishes-new-guidelines-for-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduction-814/