China's fossil fuel consumption goes up 9 per cent

In a recent report prepared by its National Bureau of Statistics, China has acknowledged that its consumption of fossil fuels rose by 9.3 per cent in
2006 over the previous year.

The report comes soon after another study by the International Energy Agency (a Paris-based alliance of oil-importing nations) that has put the
total carbon dioxide emission by China at 3.3 billion tonnes and says the country is likely to cross the us greenhouse
gas emissions by 2009. China's emission, 42 per cent of us gas emissions in 2001, rose to 97 per cent of the class='UCASE'>us figure by 2006. "By 2030, China will emit 39 per cent of the total global carbon dioxide emission, largely due to its reliance
on coal-fired power plants for energy," notes the report. At present, China emits 14.5 per cent of the world's carbon dioxide, with per capita
emission a little above two tonnes.

Meanwhile, China has started working on its first plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Though reports suggest that the plan will not include
quantitative reduction targets, China has announced plans to increase its expenditure on wind power and improve energy efficiency in existing
buildings.