The incredible economic growth rate of China and India  has to date meant a parallel increase in the amount of energy used and CO2 emissions. China has now announced that it is committed to reducing this trend. This is a huge relief for environmentalists: if current trends continue unabatted it is feared that China’s additional emissions alone could trigger a 2.7° rise in world temperatures.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice-chairman of the national development and reform commission of China, says China is ready to pump $30 billion (£18.3 billion) into low-carbon projects. It also intends to produce 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 which will match Europe.Â
Japan has announced a target of a 15% reduction in emissions by 2020. This has been condemned by environmentalists as too low a target.