ABSTRACT
Following several decades of rapid economic growth, urbanization and industrialization that has lifted more than 200 million people out of poverty, China is reported to have surpassed the US as the world’s largest energy consumer and greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter in 2009 and 2007, respectively – several years earlier than expected. 2 In addition, China’s overall energy demand is estimated to double by 2030. 3 This transformation has catapulted China to the forefront of international climate change policy-making, although its per capita share of emissions is still far lower than in industrialized countries, with their voracious appetite for energy-intensive lifestyles.
