F REIGN TRADE - 中国国际贸易促进委员会

ENVIRONMENT
China issues first greenhouse gas bulletin
Greenhouse gas emissions in China in 2011 increased to
their highest level since data began being collected by
network stations in 1990, according to China’s first Greenhouse
Gas Bulletin.
The bulletin, released by the China Meteorological Administration
(CMA), showed carbon dioxide levels measured
at 392.2 parts per million at Waliguan station in Qinghai
Province. This was a peak since the station began operating
in 1990.
The figures, revealed in Shenyang, capital of northeast
China’s Liaoning Province, are also slightly higher than the
global averages in all greenhouse gas components including
atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
The bulletin indicates a sign of the government’s improving
transparency in facing environmental issues, said
Duan Yihong, head of the China Meteorological Academy
of Sciences.
According to Duan, data on greenhouse gas levels in
2012 can be expected soon, as the government is determined
to publish the bulletin annually.
He said greenhouse gas emissions, which are a cause of
the persistent smog currently enveloping the north of China, are
mainly produced through burning of fossil fuel and biomass.
“In addition to industrial emissions, automobile exhausts
and coal burning for winter heating are two major
contributors to the suffocating smog,” he said.
The bulletin showed that the annual averaged greenhouse
gas emissions observed by three regional stations set
up in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Beijing and
eastern Zhejiang Province are all higher than figures collected
at the Waliguan station in sparsely populated Qinghai.
The bulletin was based on data collected by seven atmospheric
background stations established and operated by
the CMA. Four of the stations have been listed in the World
Meteorological Organization’s Global Atmosphere Watch
Program directory.
Before the China stations were enlisted, the program’s
stations were mostly situated in developed countries and regions.
As one of the world’s largest emitters and its secondlargest
economy, China is playing a constructive role in pushing
forward global climate negotiations while doing its bit to
keep emissions within targets.
The bulletin is regarded as a scientifically
composed warning to Chinese
Comment
governments at all levels on the importance of
sustainable low-carbon development. China is going
on a green and low-carbon path.
Li pledges measures in fight for clean air
China will strengthen the enforcement of environmental
laws, and take other measures to tackle air pollution,
Vice-Premier Li Keqiang pledged on January 17.
“We published accurate PM2.5 data. It took a long time
for this problem to accumulate, and it will take a long time to
solve it,” he said.
“But we must act! We have to strengthen the enforcement
of environmental laws and other regulations and also
remind the public to protect themselves.”
Beijing has been shrouded in thick smog. Levels of
PM2.5 — particle matter smaller than 2.5 microns and able
to enter the lungs and even the bloodstream — passed 300
micrograms per cubic meter on January 12 in 33 of the 74
cities with systems sensitive enough to monitor the particles.
The World Health Organization considers the safe daily level
to be 25micrograms per cubic meter.
The serious air pollution in China’s cities
has aroused great concern across
Comment
the country. As many reasons contributed to
the pollution, it will take a long time for China to
tackle the problem. In this process, action speaks
louder.
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