The investments disclosed this week are in large part meant to reduce China's growing depend on imports of oil, gas and coal to fuel its economic growth. That growth has made it difficult for the country to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, China was responsible for 29 percent of the world's total C02 emissions.
Despite that dubious distinction, China earned the No. 7 spot on a recent ranking of national energy efficiency focused on the world's top 12 economies.
The analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) considered 27 categories, divided into four groups: National policies and three sectors primarily responsible for energy consumption in economically developed countries -buildings, industry, and transportation.
China is making green building projects a particular focus of its efficiency plans. Thirty percent of new construction in China will be energy efficient by 2020, according to a document released in May by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
This story originally appeared in Sustainable Business and is reprinted with permission.
