The low carbon tribe is expanding as more and more people stress the Chinese virtue of thrift as a way conducive to the improvement of the country's environment, said Dr. Li Lin, director of Conservation Strategies at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China.

The low carbon life style means low use of unrenewable fossil fuel and the minimum output of greenhouse gas, according to Li, who said the concept should be integrated into every aspect of life, including food, clothing, housing and transport.

Data from the WWF China showed one day's drive would emit 8.17 kilograms of carbon dioxide. If people use one less watt of electricity, they would help reduce the emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide.

As of Wednesday, 130,000 college students from more than 100 universities in 16 cities including Beijing and Nanjing had joined a campaign initiated by the WWF China to help cut one kilogram of carbon emission by saving energy during the week ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit, which is scheduled for Dec. 7 to 18.

"I am really excited to see a growing low carbon tribe, and also glad young people are practicing thrift as a way to live their life", Li said.

Zhou Dadi, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, said it is great that Chinese people have such an enthusiasm toward low carbon life-style, which would help build a low-carbon society.

"The whole society should reach a consensus to reject the extravagant or unsustainable way of consumption", he said.

However, among the 1.3 billion Chinese people, not everyone is able to do what Li and Shi do as some find it difficult to persist and some downplay or even are not aware of the climate issue.

"Nowadays, many girls in China enjoy buying new dresses but they just hang them in the closet and never wear them. That's quite a waste", Shi said.

"Some people are lost in consumerism as they make more money. They want to buy more things, which sometimes are not needed at all," said Guan Shaobo, the marketing manager of the Beijing-based website Mosh.cn, the country's largest online event information provider.

"But it is really hard for people to change their habits overnight. So what is in urgent need now is guidance and promotion by the government through media", he said. "So it is our responsibility to tell people the importance of energy conservation and environmental protection.

"What is going on in the movie '2012' might really happen someday if people keep squandering natural resources," he said.

Climate change is a result of rampant consumption of natural resources, Dr. Li Lin said, noting people should use natural resources to meet their needs instead of extravagant demand.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2009)