According to one senior official this week, China's carbon intensity or the level of carbon emissions produced per unit of economic growth, has dropped 4% in the first three quarters of the year. It is a positive sign for the country as it shows they are on track for its five-year target.
China has announced that they will attempt to cut down the 2015 levels of carbon intensity by 18% by the end of 2020 as a part of its pledge to bring the total CO2 emissions to a peak level by 2030.
According to Li Gao, head of the climate change office of the National Development and Reform Commission, China has made good progress in reducing CO2 emissions despite economic grwoth.
On Thursday, the National Energy Administration released a new report where Li said China is still aiming to launch its nationwide carbon emissions trading scheme which would assist in reducing CO2 emissions further.
The emissions trading scheme was set to go online last year, but it was delayed due to complications brought by emission data accuracy and the like. However, according to China's climate diplomat Xie Zhenhua in his speech in the climate negotiations in Bonn, the scheme is now awaiting cabinet approval before it is launched.
Li's statement is supported by several studies, which have earlier noted that China is on track to meet its emissions target ahead of schedule. In the study published in the Resources, Conservation and Recycling journal, the scientists remarked that China's CO2 levels may hit its maximum in 2024. A Chinese think tank also gave its analysis that the national energy consumption may also reach its peak around the same period.
