Environmental Protection and Sustainability Strategies in China: Towards a Green Economy

Abstract

With almost 20 per cent of the global population, China is the world’s most populous economy (US Census Bureau, 2013) and the OECD (2013) anticipates that China will soon surpass the US to become the most economically powerful country. This large country already holds many other top positions but not all of them are encouraging. Since 2006, China has been the largest global greenhouse gases (GHG) emitter (PBL, 2008) and in 2008 its total ecological footprint became 2.9 billion gha -the largest for a single country (WWF, 2012). Although on a per capita basis, these statistics look better, particularly in comparison with developed economies such as the US and Australia, the impact of the Chinese economy on the globe is vast. However, China is now determined to become a significant player in tackling climate change and curbing environmental pollution. Since 2009, China has been the largest investor in new renewable energy technology (UNEP and Frankfurt School, 2013) and its current 12th Five-Year Plan is promoting a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society.