Beijing: After US President Barack Obama’s promise to substantially cut its greenhouse gas emissions, China voluntary pledged to cut down on its carbon emissions too.
This cooperation from China is crucial for a global climate summit approach. Together, the announcements are building momentum for next month’s meeting in Copenhagen.
But environmental experts warned that China’s plan does not commit it to reducing emissions — and that they will in fact continue to increase, though at a slower rate.
China pledged Thursday to cut “carbon intensity,” a measure of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product, by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with levels in 2005.
Thursday’s pledge means emissions would only increase by 50 percent in such a scenario.
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