China's top science official yesterday sounded an upbeat note about achieving the country's green goals -- innovatively.

"China is exploring a different way of controlling greenhouse gas (GHS) emissions. We will not follow the Western countries' way of high emissions first and then reduction," Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang said.

China, the world's second-biggest GHG emitter after the United States, released 5.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent in 2004, according to the national climate change program.  
Wan told a news briefing organized by the State Council Information Office that the government is working to turn energy-saving targets into goals for CO2 emissions.

"We are studying techniques and methods for converting this (energy targets) into goals for cutting carbon dioxide emissions," he said.

Under an ambitious energy-saving blueprint, the country plans to reduce its energy consumption per unit of gross domestic products (GDP) by 20 percent by 2010 from 2006.

To boost the scientific and technological support for the drive to curb temperature rise, the ministry yesterday released China's Scientific and Technological (S&T) Actions on Climate Change.

The document focuses on energy and the environment as key fields of S&T studies and gives priority to global climate change and policy-making.

"S&T is one of the basic and fundamental approaches to effectively address climate change," Wan said.

China has spent 4.6 billion yuan (US$600 million) since 2006 in the first batch of S&T projects to combat global warming.

Wan said that the technology studies focus on raising energy efficiency, developing renewable and clean energy, exploring and burning coal in a clean way, carbon capture and sequestration, absorbing carbons biologically and cutting GHG emissions through improved farming modes.

The country will cut carbon emissions per unit of GDP, or carbon intensity, by 40 percent in 2020 from 2000 and 80 percent in 2050 from 2000, according to the National Climate Change Assessment Report released last year.

According to the national climate change program, hydropower and coal bed methane utility will make biggest contribution to emission cuts - by 500 million tons and 200 million tons of CO2 by 2010.

(China Daily June 15, 2007)