Analysis & Opinions - Nature

A Low-carbon Road Map for China

    Authors:
  • Dabo Guan
  • Douglas Crawford-Brown
  • Qiang Zhang
  • Kebin He
  • Jianguo Liu
| August 8, 2013

Recycling, renewables and a reinvigorated domestic energy market will allow China to lead the world in low-carbon development, say Zhu Liu and colleagues.

"China is a major force behind anthropogenic carbon emissions and their mitigation. The world's leading primary energy consumer in 2012, China devoured almost half of all coal produced. The nation accounted for one-quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2011 and 80% of the world's rise in CO2 emissions since 2008 (ref. 1).

Facing international pressures to curb its CO2 releases, as well as a tight domestic fossil-energy supply and high levels of air pollution, China has implemented a bold national strategy for energy conservation and emissions mitigation. The country plans to reduce its carbon intensity (CO2 per unit of gross domestic product, or GDP) to 55–60% of 2005 levels by 2020.

This can be achieved only if China becomes a low-carbon economy...."

 

Read the full commentary here (log in may be required): http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7461/full/500143a.html

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Liu, Zhu, Dabo Guan, Douglas Crawford-Brown, Qiang Zhang, Kebin He, and Jianguo Liu.“A Low-carbon Road Map for China.” Nature, August 8, 2013.

The Authors

Dabo Guan

Douglas Crawford-Brown

Qiang Zhang

Kebin He

Jianguo Liu

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