Tuesday 3 June 2014

China capping carbon emissions from 2016

China will bring in a cap on carbon emissions in two years' time.

A senior government advisor today told a conference in Beijing the cap will be included in China’s 13th Five Year Plan which begins in 2016.

He Jiankun, chairman of China's Advisory Committee on Climate Change said: "The government will use two ways to control CO2 emissions in the next five-year plan, by intensity and an absolute cap," reported Reuters.

China has been the largest carbon emitter in the world since overtaking the US in 2011.

Air pollution in China’s growing cities has forced the country to tackle the problem, scrapping six million cars that don’t meet exhaust standards by the end of the year.

In December children in Shanghai (pictured) were told not to play outdoors as thick smog reached levels 24 times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limit.