China's global leaps in energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is one of the main pillars of China's climate policy. It has been included in the five-year plans since the mid-2000s. Between 2010-2015, China's energy intensity fell by 18.2 percent, exceeding the national goal of a 16% reduction. A new study on China's energy efficiency policies analysed how achieving energy efficiency in China has been so successful. They came to the conclusion that this was mainly due to the strong political leadership, clear objectives, adaptability, the dynamic energy market and the increase in the share of the service sector in the overall economy. China is exporting more of its energy efficiency expertise as a part of its international cooperation aid to developing countries. However, China's greenhouse gas emissions were still growing in 2017 and leading global emission rates. China's development strategy must pay attention to the trade-offs between its economic growth and energy efficiency for success in the country's energy efficiency.