Chinese government leaders and major companies were put on notice on Sunday
that energy efficiency and pollutant reduction will be key factors in their
performance assessments, Xinhua news agency said.
They should be set as indexes for assessing economic and social development and
the performance of government and company leaders, the State Council, or
cabinet, warned in a circular.
"They will receive a negative performance assessment if they fail to reach goals
for energy efficiency and pollutant discharge reduction regardless of
achievements in other fields," Xinhua said.
Last year, the government set a goal to reduce energy consumption per unit of
gross domestic product by 20 percent and major pollutants discharge by 10
percent in the 11th five-year plan period ending 2010.
Under the goal, China had to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 4 percent
and discharges of major pollutants by 2 percent last year. But it fell short of
the targets.
"Greater efforts for efficiency and discharge reduction are urgently needed to
deal with global weather changes and a responsibility we should shoulder," the
circular added.
"If we fail to take immediate measures to reverse the situation, it will be
difficult for us not only to make obvious progress in energy saving and
discharge reduction this year, but also to reach the overall goal for the 11th
five-year plan period," the circular said.
The State Council issued the General Work Plan for Energy Conservation and
Pollutant Discharge Reduction. Xinhua said the major targets for the year 2010
included:
-- Energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of gross domestic product reduced from
1.22 tonnes of standard coal in 2005 to below 1 tonne, down by about 20 percent;
-- Water consumption per unit of industrial value added reduced by 30 percent;
-- Discharge of major pollutants reduced by 10 percent;
-- Discharge of sulphur dioxide reduced from 25.49 million tonnes in 2005 to
22.95 million tonnes;
-- Chemical oxygen demand reduced from 14.14 million tonnes in 2005 to 12.73
million tonnes;
-- The ratio of national urban treated sewage reaching at least 70 percent;
-- The ratio of comprehensive utilisation of industrial solid wastes reaching 60
percent or more.
China's first plan for climate change will seek to fortify the country against
damage from global warming but also against international pressure to cut
greenhouse gas pollution that Beijing calls the cost of growth.
China will unveil its national plan on Monday, two days before President Hu
Jintao attends a meeting of Group of Eight leaders in Germany at which global
warming will feature.