The Big Green Machine.docVIP

The Big Green Machine 　　China’s stepped-up commitment to expanding her energy infrastructure is official. Premier Wen Jiabao, in a statement at the 2009 National People’s Congress, redefined the direction of the country’s energy strategy and development goals, clarifying that nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar power are all the focus of new projects. China’s green energy campaign is unprecedented both on the industrial and legal fronts, and not surprising, since the country is one of the world’s major energy consumers. 　　 　　Law Breaks the Trail for 　　Renewable Energy 　　 　　As early as the 1980s, the Chinese government listed renewable energy as a national development strategy focus. In the Sixth Five-year Plan (1981-1985), green projects were included in the state’s key scientific and technological research and development program, but lack of related legal instruments shackled actual implementation. 　　Then in 2003, the expectation of dwindling fossil fuel resources made the green energy path a rallying point at the annual National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Because fossil fuel supplies will decrease dramatically over the next 50 years, the development of hydroelectric, nuclear and wind power, coal bed gas and other green energy replacements are needed to avert an acute energy shortage. 　　In February 2005, the Renewable Energy Law (Draft) was passed, and within two years it formally took effect. This was the fastest passage of legislation ever in China, testimony to the government’s green commitment. The law provided a framework for the rapid development of renewable energy and the effects were immediately apparent: in the year it took effect, consumption of renewable energy reached the equivalent of 180 million tons of standard coal, accounting for 7.5 percent of the total consumption of primary energy resources. Sulfur dioxide emissions dropped by 3 million tons. 　　Legislation in this field is incomple