SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY

China's Climate Target: Is It Achievable?

from Nature News

Climate analysts are praising China's promise to slash the country's emissions--even as they wonder if the target is achievable or ambitious enough.

Last week, China's State Council announced that the country will cut its carbon intensity--carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP)--by 40-45% from 2005 levels by 2020. "It is a very welcome decision," says Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency in Paris. "If the target is met, it would have significant implications for China and the rest of the world."

Yet some think that the target is not far-reaching enough given China's booming economy and its track record of improving energy efficiency. The country reduced its energy intensity--energy consumption per unit of GDP--by 47% between 1990 and 2005, and looks likely to cut it by another 20% from 2005 levels by the end of next year. Carbon intensity can drop faster than energy intensity if clean-energy sources are brought into the mix.