How green can China be?
Is China really moving toward a low-carbon economy or simply applying a greenish tint to the same polluting policies?
- Published: 17 Sep 2012 at 12.15
- Newspaper section: Asia focus
No other country is investing as heavily in clean energy as China these days, but at the same time no other country burns as much coal to fuel its economy. So how green will China actually become? That is the question posed by a new report on China’s environmental policies.
The report titled “China Energy: A Greener Shade of Grey”, from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), says that renewables and nuclear power combined will supply 16% of China’s energy needs by 2020, up from 13% in 2010. Over the same decade, however, coal consumption will also rise 35% and carbon emissions by 43%.
The study highlights China’s expansion of renewable energy, but says its insatiable demand for coal, together with problems in the renewable sectors and waste management make for a gloomy outlook – hence the conclusion that the country’s policy is “a greener shade of grey”.
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