More improvement room

In the former "kingdom of bicycle" the cyclist is not king.

Li says city planners should endeavor to better protect cyclists' rights on their lane, which could help to ease traffic jam and save energy.

"If every Chinese can change a 60-watt incandescent bulb to an energy-efficient one, it can save the power volume generated annually by China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, and prevent 65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission," Li adds.

An energy efficient bulb can be up to 80 percent more efficient in electricity use than an incandescent one, Greenpeace figures show.

She says two thirds of China's light bulbs are incandescent, especially in rural areas, partly due to underfunding, as Chinese low-earning farmers are more price aware.

The government is stepping up low-carbon building construction, using energy-efficient construction materials and improving the metering and energy conservation of heating systems in northern China, says Wu Yong, an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

"China still has room in developing energy-efficient construction, to save more electricity, heating and water," says Zhang Zaidong, chairman of Tiptop International, a Beijing-based property firm that specializes in energy-efficient apartments.

The government announced last month that by 2020, the country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) will be reduced by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 level.

"To achieve this aggressive goal, we cannot only rely on government efforts. Chinese people's commitment and environmental protection awareness also carry weight," the NDRC's Zhou Dadi says.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2009)