Beijing (China) targets to cut CO₂ emissions by 20 Mt by 2018

Beijing (China) aims to cut CO₂ emissions by 20 Mt by 2018 in a strategic plan to reduce air pollutants emissions by 25% below 2012 levels by 2017. The bulk of the CO₂ emission decrease is expected to come from fuel substitutions in the power sector (from coal to gas) with industrial shutdowns also contributing to reduce emissions. Coal-to-gas substitutions are expected to raise gas demand in Beijing to 3.7 bcm by 2015 and to 5.3 bcm by 2018; this would represent a 50% increase in the city's gas consumption within 5 years. In the industrial sector, Beijing's cement output is expected to be halved by 2017, from about 9 Mt in 2012 to 4 Mt in 2017, reducing CO₂ emissions from the cement industry to 2 Mt in 2018 and cutting PM2.5 emissions.

Moreover, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China has required from large companies that emitting more than 13 ktCO₂equivalent in 2010 to report their future annual emissions of six major greenhouse gases. This reporting is expected to provide statistics for capping greenhouse gas emissions and to tighten the control over major emitters, ahead of launching a national carbon market. Reporting could be made mandatory from 2015.