China's first provincial regulation on climate change only a prelude, say officials

China's first provincial regulation on climate change, which went into effect in the northwestern Qinghai province on Oct 1, is a prelude to more such laws and regulations on the burning issue, government officials said on Tuesday.

The rule, under the name of Qinghai Regulation of Coping with Climate Change, has clarified a portfolio of adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce the risks of climate change in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the most fragile ecological systems in the world.

The rule requires officials of local governments and State-owned companies to undergo evaluation on climate change-related criteria, including energy saving, emission reduction and water resource conservation.

China is in the process of creating a legal framework on fighting against climate change in every way possible, Sun Cuihua, deputy director of the climate change department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Tianjin.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, last year adopted a resolution to address climate change and urged the introduction of relevant laws and regulations, said Ma Aimin, a division director of the department.

"Together with other government agencies, the process of drafting China's climate change law has already begun," Ma said. The government will extensively solicit opinions from the public, non-governmental organizations and enterprises, he said.

"A forceful legal framework will set a sound foundation for all actions on climate change," said Xu Huaqing, a senior researcher at the Energy Research Institute under the NDRC.

Xu said laying out laws to curb greenhouse emissions is the key to fulfilling China's target of cutting carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 from its level in 2005.

Energy saving and greenhouse gas emission reduction will be highlighted in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), which is under formulation, said Sun.

Clear and specific targets for emission reduction along with ratio of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption will be set in the development strategy for the next five years, she said.

Source: China Daily