The growing dependence on fossil fuels has resulted in a number of economic, social, and environmental problems for the Chinese economy. Fossil fuels have played a crucial role behind the materialistic advancement of the Chinese society. Over the years China has emerged as one of the biggest consumers of oil, coal, and natural gas in the world. However, the environmental hazards caused due to the excessive use of fossil fuels have been an issue of major concern for quite some time now.
Environmentalists, international bodies like the International Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and many other organizations all over the world have implemented several policy measures to lower the use of fossil fuels. The Chinese government has also played a proactive role in initiating measures to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
China is one of the members of the 3 Country Energy Efficiency Project. As a part of this project, the Chinese government has focused on investments for developing energy efficient infrastructure. Efforts are on to enforce gradual restriction on the use of fossil fuels. The primary objective of all these policy measures is to protect environment and prevent the occurrence of adverse changes in climate.
Sun Youhai, a senior officer of the NPC (National People’s Congress), has put forward a suggestion to establish a national carbon trading market. The participants of the market will be offered an incentive to prevent using non-renewable sources of energy.
The Chinese government has also undertaken a number of research and development works to produce alternative sources of energy. The real challenge of the Chinese government in this case is to ensure energy efficiency and popularize the use of alternative sources of energy. Effective implementation of various strategies for energy efficiency and energy conservation is crucial in this context.