China sets emission cuts as 'binding goals'
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China is set to make the reduction of energy consumption intensity and carbon dioxide emissions "binding goals" in the next five years, according to a proposal released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Wednesday.
The move was part of China's endeavor to cope with global climate change and was aimed at "effectively controlling" the country's greenhouse gas emissions, said the CPC Central Committee's Proposal for Formulating the 12th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development (2011-2015).
The country would devote major efforts to boosting the efficiency of energy use, developing a "recycling economy," promoting the economic use of natural resources and strengthening environmental and ecological protection, it said.
China would forge ahead with its research and utilization of low-carbon technologies and make progressive efforts to establish carbon trade markets.
China would increase international cooperation while upholding the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in addressing global climate change, said the proposal.
Reserves of important mineral resources would be set up and "profound attention" would be paid to the security of water resources, it said.
The proposal said efforts would be made to tackle water, air and soil pollution, enhance the country's capacity to prevent and control floods and establish a network to assess, forecast, monitor and prevent geological disasters.
The proposal, widely considered a blueprint that will play a crucial role in shaping the country's development over the next five years, was adopted at the Fifth Plenum of the 17th CPC Central Committee, which ended on Oct. 18.
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