Greenpeace: China power companies hurting climate

subscribe

China's three largest energy suppliers emitted more greenhouse gases than all of Britain last year, environmental watchdog Greenpeace China said in a recent report.

The report reflects the heavy reliance on coal that is hampering China's efforts to tackle climate change.

The country's 10 largest power companies supply nearly 60 percent of China's energy. They burned a fifth of all of China's coal in 2008 and emitted about 1.44 billion tons of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, the report said.

The three biggest companies — China Huaneng Group, China Datang Corp. and China Guodian Corp. — produced more greenhouse gases than Britain in 2008, according to the report, titled "Polluting Power: Ranking China's Biggest Power Companies."

All three state-owned companies have also been warned in recent years by China's environmental protection agency as having "severe violations" of environmental safeguards.

While China's per capita emissions remain far below those of developed countries, China as a whole has already surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. The two countries account for 40 percent of the world's total emissions.

"China's power companies are not only the key coal consumer but also the major carbon dioxide emitter," Yang Ailun, Greenpeace China climate campaign manager, said in the report.

Greenpeace China urged China to impose on power companies an energy tax and an environmental tax on coal. It also urged China to double its target of getting its power from renewable energy to 30 percent by 2020.

China has made some progress. Over the past 3 1/2 years, it closed down inefficient coal-fired plants that produced 54.07 gigawatts of energy, equal to Australia's total power capacity, the report said.

Both China and the U.S. are looking for ways to cooperate on addressing the issue of climate change in preparation for UN-led talks in Copenhagen at the end of the year, which will seek to forge a framework for a global climate change treaty.

Related News

climate change continues unabated

Climate change: Greenhouse gas concentrations again break records

LONDON - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the increase in CO2 was just above the average rise recorded over the last decade.

Levels of other warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, have also surged by above average amounts.

Since 1990 there's been an increase of 43% in the warming effect on the climate of long lived greenhouse gases.

The WMO report looks at concentrations of warming gases in the atmosphere rather than just emissions.

The difference between the two is that emissions refer to the amount of gases that go up into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuels, such…

READ MORE
new york city at night

What Will Drive Utility Revenue When Electricity Is Free?

READ MORE

DOE

Energy Department Announces 20 New Competitors for the American-Made Solar Prize

READ MORE

powerlines

B.C. ordered to pay $10M for denying Squamish power project

READ MORE

wyoming wind farm

Wyoming wind boost for US utility

READ MORE