Tsinghua releases low carbon development bluebook

Tsinghua University has released a new low carbon development bluebook. The new publication charts the achievements of the last five years and outlines tasks to be achieved for the next five years. The release coincides with the second low carbon development forum. Dropping carbon intensity and increasing carbon emissions. This trend is the key message of Tsinghua’s new low carbon development bluebook, offering an overview of China’s low carbon policies and achievements during the 11th five-year plan (2006-2010). It also makes a number of policy suggestions for the 12th five-year plan (2011-2015). The main theme running through the publication is of the remarkable success of the 11th five-year plan in which the central government made a concerted effort to rein in carbon emission and air pollution. Technology is proving crucial in promoting low carbon development. Under the principles agreed in the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries are obliged to transfer advanced technologies to developing countries to help them reduce carbon emission and adapt to climate change. But this isn’t proving to be an easy process. Professor Qi Ye, Tsinghua University, said, "Obtaining key technologies to fight carbon emissions neccesitates cooperation with advanced countries, as China still has a long way in this area. But unfortunately, the transfer of key technologies is not moving fast enough to meet demand due to commercial reasons." But technology is just one part of the problem. Looking into the 12th five-year plan, more challenges lie ahead. "China is still in a process of massive industrialization and urbanization. This means that our carbon emission can not be reduced dramatically overnight; the second challenge is that most local governments still have a strong motivation to pursue rapid economic growth which needs more energy." Said Professor Qi. More energy consumption means more carbon emission and global warming. As climate change talks stall at an international level, low carbon development initiatives at national or local level have become all the more important, this forum is the very place where changes might get underway.