Non-fossil fuels will account for 30 percent of China's energy consumption in 2050, compared with the current 10 percent, the China Securities Journal declared on Tuesday.

The whole world is conscious of the need to reduce emissions from fossil fuels and to develop carbon-constraining technologies.

Fossil fuels, also known as mineral fuels, are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Coal is considered to be the cheapest and dirtiest source of energy in the world.

Even though China's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are lower than countries like the United States or Australia, its heavy reliance on coal makes it a major polluter and a major contributor to the emissions that cause climate change.

By 2050, about 40 percent of China's energy consumption will still come from the burning of coal, compared with the current 70 percent, the report quoted Yan Luguang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as saying.

Oil consumption would contribute around 20 percent of the total and reach 800 million tons in 2050, 75 percent of which would be imported from foreign countries, said Yan.

As China's energy demands continue to grow, a sufficient oil supply is critical to the country's energy security, said Yan.

The demand for natural gas, hydropower and nuclear power will grow in the coming years and by 2050 solar energy, wind energy and biomass energy will account for 15 percent of the nation's total energy consumption, said Yan.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2007)