Challenges ahead for green growth
Updated: 2007-12-06 17:13
Energy law or energy conservation law - which should come first?
After months of drafting, the Energy Law is still in its public consultation phase. However, the legislative body has voted for the latter to be ratified within a year.
"Conservation is our priority in energy policy," said Hu Guangbao, vice-chairman of the Law Committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislative body.
His explanation has rationalized the "fast-paced vote" for the Energy Conservation Law by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress at the end of October, only after the second review. China's law-making process often allows "three-readings" for the legislators before they vote.
"We are eager to create a strong legal framework for building an energy-efficient society and achieve the green targets," said Hu, adding that the vote had signaled the urgency for conservation in energy-thirsty China, which has decided on an annual saving target of 4 percent per GDP unit of energy consumption between 2006 and 2010.
In addition, China also decided to reduce its major pollutant discharges by 10 percent during the five-year period.
In accordance with the laws, the State Council has stipulated detailed regulations on how to monitor and assess the performance of provincial governments and major enterprises in energy savings and pollutant reduction. The long-discussed regulations were made public yesterday.
"China decided to satisfy its energy demands by saving and exploring more resources," Hu said.
"But energy conservation is always the priority as conventional energy such as oil and coal, has limited reserves."
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