The Chinese government’s efforts to save energy and reduce harmful emissions have spread from schools, enterprises and government departments to a new front: the country’s military.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police should work to build energy-efficient barracks and develop energy-saving models for logistics, consumption and training, according to a nationwide emission-reduction plan.
“Efforts to save resources in the military are an important part of the country’s energy-saving and emission-reduction efforts,” the plan said.
According to the plan, China’s armed forces will standardize and build 100 major training bases that can be shared by military departments and the country’s 2.3 million servicemen.
The PLA will scale down administrative expenses, make greater efforts to conserve fuel, procure environmentally friendly products and recycle used military uniforms, according to the plan.
PLA garrisons will coordinate their use of civilian vehicles with local governments to enhance transportation efficiency.
Chinese armed forces will also launch key energy-saving projects related to the construction of offices and armament, the plan said.
The plan, jointly formulated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the PLA General Logistics Department and other ministries, comes at a time when China is being pressured to meet its emission reduction target by 2015 amid rapid industrialization.
Relying on coal for more than half of its energy consumption, China adopted a plan last year to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 17 per cent per unit of China’s gross domestic product (GDP) until 2015.
China also aims to reduce energy use for every 10,000 yuan (about 1,585 US dollars) of GDP to 0.869 metric tons of coal equivalent by 2015, or a cut of 16 per cent from 2010’s consumption.
China has also set a goal of lowering Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), a main index of water pollution, and emissions of sulfur dioxide by 8 per cent by 2015.
