Off the wire
• Tanzania in new drive to curb fake electronic gadgets  • Kenyan police arrest 2 terror suspects along Tanzania border  • Interview: Introducing Chinese folk songs to UN, U.S. audiences is a dream come true: Chinese mezzo soprano  • Roundup: Tunisia steps up security measures, tourism takes hard hit  • 2nd LD: Eurogroup rejects Greek bailout extension request  • Chinese FM dismisses suspicion of "seeking hegemony"  • China determined, able to safeguard its justified rights over Nansha Islands: FM  • Interview: China plays critical role in global climate actions: UN climate chief  • Full Text: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's speech at the luncheon of the Fourth World Peace Forum (4)  • Full Text: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's speech at the luncheon of the Fourth World Peace Forum (3)  
You are here: 　 Home

Interview: China makes "excellent example" in reducing carbon emissions

Xinhua, June 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

China has made an "excellent example" in reducing carbon emissions, keeping at the same time an economic growth, said chief economist of International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol recently in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

In 2014, the volume of Chinese carbon emissions declined for the first time since 1999, while its economy increased around 7 percent, Birol said.

According to the figures of a special report published by IEA in June 2015, Chinese carbon emissions registered in 2014 a drop of around 130 million metric tons, 1.5 percent annually.

With the success of 2014, China is "one of the major drivers of the good news" in terms of global climate change, the chief economist said, hoping China continue to put the right energy policies in place and continue to find solution for the environmental problems.

The good news he indicated means the global energy-related CO2 emissions stayed flat in 2014 despite an increase of around 3 percent in the global economy, a success for the first time in 40 years in reducing carbon emissions as global economy keeps positive growth.

"China makes a very good effort in terms of the de-carbonization of energy system, using energy more and more efficiently," said Birol, noting that China's investment in renewable energy has exceeded the total investment of United-States and Europe.

In fact, low-carbon forms of power generation has accounted for one quarter of China's electricity supply in 2014, up from around one fifth in 2013, as the special report of IEA indicated.

"China is making major steps in the energy and we would like to learn how Chinese are achieving those successful outcomes," said Birol, who will take office as Executive Director of IEA in september this year.

Certainly, China has still a lot to do in the fight against the climate change, Birol said, adding that he will "be very happy" to share environmental technology and management of technology experiences with China in the next years to come. Endit