The Chinese government will accelerate the establishment of a
standard scientific evaluation system on energy consumption to meet
energy and pollution targets based on accurate data.
The system, which would calculate energy consumption per unit of
gross domestic product (GDP) will be put a priority this year, said
Xie Fuzhan, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Xie said the 2006 energy consumption figures would not be
announced until they had been checked by the NBS to prevent
provincial governments from compiling data using different
methods.
Ensuring the precision of the figures was a difficult job, Xie
said, adding it was imperative to improve the accuracy of data on
energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP.
The NBS would improve the calculation mechanism and facilitate
channels for local governments to report precise figures, Xie
said.
China failed to meet targets to improve energy use and cut
pollution last year, underscoring the difficulty of protecting the
environment amid the nation's economic boom.
China had set goals last year to reduce energy consumption per
unit of GDP by four percent and to cut emissions of pollutants by
two percent.
But energy consumption actually increased by 0.8 percent per
unit of GDP during the first half, while emissions of several key
pollutants also rose, according to the National Development and
Reform Commission.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)