As the Chinese government prepares to make a leadership transition this week, the country faces conflicting pressures as it strives toward economic growth while wanting to reduce emissions.
While the country’s new leaders have declared “ecological progress” will be a priority, analysts at a World Resources Institute-led press teleconference said China must deal with series of inter-linked challenges– economic prosperity, energy security, mitigating climate change and social unrest – to make environmental strides.
Even then, any changes probably won’t be seen until after 2015, when the country’s current five-year environmental plan ends, the analysts said.
“We’re not going to see any big change in 2013, because it is in the middle of China’s 12th five-year plan,” said Melanie Hart, a policy analyst for the Center for American Progress. Still, “the 2011 to 2015 plan is dedicated to move in a low carbon direction,” she said.
China has been making progress on its targets for the 12th five-year plan to increase the non-fossil fuel share of primary energy consumption to 11.4 percent by 2015.
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