China’s five-year green development plan for industrial sector lacks road map, analysts warn
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology last Friday unveiled a five-year plan aimed at the green development of its industrial sector
- The plan calls for cutting carbon emissions by 18 per cent and achieving US$1.7 trillion of economic output in the environmental sector by 2025
The MIIT has also set several targets for the industrial sector, including cutting carbon emissions by 18 per cent and energy intensity by 13.5 per cent, reducing the emissions intensity of major pollutants by 10 per cent and achieving 11 trillion yuan (US$1.7 trillion) of economic output by the environmental sector by 2025.
“It [the development plan] has reaffirmed the few principles in eco-friendly industrial development and economic growth in China,” said Li Hongmei, a senior analyst at consultancy Mysteel Global.
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The MIIT’s plan also called for increasing the proportion of clean energy in the overall industrial energy consumption structure, including replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen in the steel, cement and chemical industries. It encouraged factories and industrial estates to develop rooftop photovoltaics and decentralised wind power systems, without setting specific targets or standards for these policies.