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HU'S CARBON COMMITMENT MARKS NEW ERA FOR CHINA

Emma Graham-Harrison

Reuters, September 24, 2009

Chinese President Hu Jintao's pledge this week to cut "carbon intensity" marked Beijing's first acceptance that it must control emissions, a pivotal shift that could alter the dynamic of global climate change talks.

It seemed obscure and technical to many, with no hard number to anchor the target or boost pressure on other major emitters, and some critics claimed the new objective was little more than a dressed up extension of existing "energy intensity" goals.

But buried amid stodgy language and recycled commitments to cleaner energy was China's first recognition of a responsibility the rest of the world has long urged it to shoulder -- that of counting and curbing its emissions of greenhouse gases.

Previously, Beijing had always argued that although it would attempt to control greenhouse gas output, as a developing country China could not accept any specific targets because they might hinder the fight against poverty.

As China is now the world's top emitter, the shift should smooth talks on a new global framework to tackle climate change, due to be finalised at UN-led talks in Copenhagen in December.

Rich nation demands for major emerging economies to accept greater commitments have been one of the key stumbling blocks.

Hu's decision to unveil the new policy in a rare address to the United Nations was also a sign to the international community that climate change has become a priority for China's leaders.

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