China needs to take urgent measures, roughly within the coming 10 to 20 years, to address climate change and prevent the worst of its effects.

Erik Assadourian, research associate with the international environment think tank Worldwatch Institute told China Daily that as the country is in a rapid growth stage, it could prioritize growth in certain sectors over others such as solar energy, wind energy, biofuels and ecologically friendly manufacturing.

It is imperative that the Chinese public and the government focus on these sectors if they expect to live in a future not ravaged by coastal flooding, droughts and extreme weather events, according to Assadourian, director of "Vital Signs 2006-2007" published this month by Worldwatch.

In almost every field of this year's "Vital Signs" - an annual report on the world's eco-health - China takes leading place, which is not surprising.

The world's gross world product (GWP) - the sum of all finished goods and services produced globally - jumped 4.6 percent in 2005 to another record high of US$59.6 trillion (in 2005 dollars).

China produced 14 percent of the world's GWP in 2005 and despite the high proportion, last year it saw the index grow at a rapid 7.8 percent year-on-year.

With such huge growth each year and 1.3 billion people, nearly all changes regarding China are significant.

Granted, per capita usage in China is small compared to industrial countries, but its huge population makes its trends significant, be it food, natural resources or energy.

As far as specific changes in major trends go, there is one good example: In 2004, China became one of the largest producers of hydro-electricity, making up 11.7 percent of the world total (just 0.3 percent less than Canada), a significant increase over the past decade. By 2005, it should take the place as the largest producer.

China is absolutely a leading global consumer and producer. While many see this as a reflection of China's growing prosperity, it must also be seen as a warning sign.

In 2004, China was already the largest user of coal. China and India together now use 42 percent of the world's coal - the fossil fuel with the greatest impact on human health and the climate.

Just as the US must lead the way in reducing oil usage (since the country uses one quarter of the world's oil each year), China must work hard to reduce coal usage if it is to expect a stable climate in the future. With such a large portion of China's population living on the coasts, it is essential that China takes an aggressive stance on addressing climate change.

Changing weather patterns are also believed to be responsible for decreasing rainfall in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China that has helped it expand by 26,000 square kilometers a year and forced tens of millions of Chinese farmers to retreat.

But China has been making some important moves towards a sustainable development path. The country has put forward the world's most ambitious plans for nuclear reactors, expecting to add 31 reactors by 2020 to nine operating ones and two under construction. This will mean opening two new large reactors each year.

In the field of wind power, China may be the country with the biggest potential. Already it has added nearly 500 megawatts, for a total approaching 1,270 megawatts. With the new Renewable Energy Law going into force since this January, Chinese and international companies are poised to increase wind turbine output.

The country has the wind resources and manufacturing skills to become the world leader, but only if its renewable energy policies prove effective.

In 2005, the global production of photovoltaic (PV) cells - which generate electricity directly from sunlight - increased 45 percent to nearly 1,730 megawatts, six times the level in 2000.

Although Japan, Germany and the United States lead the world in PV production, China accounted for almost 42 percent of the total production by the rest of the world. In late 2005, Shanghai launched an initiative to install PV systems on 100,000 of the city's 6 million rooftops.

If China does not implement a sustainable economic system now, and instead builds a Western-style infrastructure (complete with suburbs, many kilometers of unnecessary roads and millions of cars), it will be too late.

Special interests will grow along with this infrastructure, and as we are seeing in the West, make it nearly impossible to redirect society towards a more rational development model.

(China Daily July 31, 2006)