China Gets Serious About Sustainability

China is preparing it's '12th Five-Year Plan', its economic strategy for the next five years. The plan will be ratified in March, and includes significant additional mandates towards improved energy efficiency and reductions in carbon emissions.

Karlenzig writes, "The gist of the new plan: a new focus on quality of development rather than on quantity only. China wants to strengthen the nation's low-carbon economy while trying to repair the extensive environmental and human health damage it has sustained during its 30-year race to lead global industrial production."

Karlenzig spoke firsthand with members of the Chinese government and academic community, who shared their strategies on water and wastewater, resource and energy use, land use and planning, waste and air pollution and climate change.