China still living beyond its environmental means: WWF

* China consumption now 1.2 times more than is sustainable
* Rapid urbanisation and changing consumer patterns to blame
* Consumption still lower than per capita global average
David Stanway Reuters AlertNet 15 Nov 10;

BEIJING, Nov 15 (Reuters) - China is living further and further beyond its environmental means as it tries to meet surging demand from its huge and increasingly urban population, a report by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said.

The report said that overall changes in consumption patterns and the shift from rural to urban lifestyles were putting more pressure on China's already threadbare environment -- and the implications are global.

If the whole world consumed the same amount of resources as China did in 2007, it would require the equivalent of 1.2 planets, up from 0.8 in 2003, according to calculations in the WWF's 2010 China Ecological Footprint Report, released on Monday.

In terms of comparison, if the global consumption level reached those of the United States, it would require the equivalent of 4.5 earths, and if they were the same as India, it would only need 0.5 earths, the report said.

"What this report tells us is that China's ecological footprint is about 20 percent higher than the planet can sustain," James Leape, director general of WWF International, told Reuters after the report was launched.

"That puts them in the middle of the pack, but obviously on a track that cannot be sustained in the long run."

China's footprint -- its use of farmlands, forests, fisheries and urban land, as well as its carbon emissions -- amounted to 2.2 global hectares (gha) per capita in 2007, higher than the desired per capita biological capacity of just 1.8 gha, but still 40 percent lower than the global average of 2.7 gha.

Though China has successfully improved its biocapacity by boosting crop yields and improving efficiency over the last five decades, consumption is still growing at a much faster rate.

China's breakneck economic growth has become one of the key issues in ongoing global climate change talks, with Beijing insisting that a new pact should place most of the burden on rich nations and leave growth in the developing world undisturbed.

Chinese officials and academics have accused western critics of hypocrisy, saying not only that its people have a right to prosperity, but also that its spiraling energy and resource use has been caused in part by the torrent of cheap manufactured goods it has been supplying to the rest of the world.

But the WWF's figures deliberately exclude China's export market, and if they were included the picture would be even worse, said Leape.

China's economic fortunes continue to be underwritten by coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels as well as one of the biggest sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

"China's carbon emissions have increased more than 20 times in the last 50 years and that is really what is driving the fast growth of the economy," said Leape.

The International Energy Agency estimated earlier this year that China had already overtaken the United States to become the world's biggest energy consumer, and with per capita levels still so much lower, many fear a Chinese consumption peak could be decades away.

While its population is at 1.3 billion and rising, Chinese policy makers claim the country would have had to feed and house an additional 300 million citizens if it had not imposed draconian measures to restrict each family to just one child.

Li Lin, one of the authors of the WWF report, said population has now stabilised and that the crucial issue was now the growth in per capita consumption levels.

"You can imagine how it would be if we have 300 million more people in China, but this study shows that population and per capita consumption have both doubled (in the last 50 years)," she said.

"Population growth is now stable and we now have to focus on the per capita (rate), which is now the driving force."

(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Carbon and cities central to a sustainable China
WWF 15 Nov 10;

Beijing, China – Addressing carbon emissions and urban development will be crucial if China is to continue to improve well-being without costing the planet, says a new report launched today.

The “China Ecological Footprint Report 2010”, jointly published by WWF and China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), explores the country’s challenges and opportunities in an increasingly resource-constrained world.

Over the past three decades China’s per capita income has grown by more than 50 times as a result of economic development. However, rapid industrialization, urban development and intensive agriculture have increased the pressure on nature.

“Our environment is the basis for life and human development. Due to rapid social and economic development in recent years, environmental issues are increasingly becoming a bottleneck for future economic growth,” said Zhu Guangyao, Secretary General of CCICED. “The next twenty years will be critical for China to realize sustainable development. With this in mind, it is the goal of the Chinese government to accelerate the formation of a resource efficient and environmentally-friendly society.”

A world consuming resources and producing wastes at Chinese levels for 2007 would need the equivalent of 1.2 planets to support its activities, compared to 0.8 of a planet at 2003 Chinese consumption levels. The global average in 2007 was 1.5 planets, meaning that it would take 1.5 years for the Earth to regenerate the resources used and to absorb the CO2 emitted that year.

Carbon emissions and individual wealth have become the major factors influencing China’s Ecological Footprint.

“Raising awareness of China's footprint is a crucial step in China's efforts to improve the well-being of its people without jeopardizing their future,” said Jim Leape, WWF International Director General. “This analysis tells us that to achieve its goal of a ‘harmonious society,’ China must find ways to grow its economy while protecting the natural systems upon which the economy, and society, depend – from the Yangtze River to the Amazon forest.”

In 2008, carbon footprint associated with energy demand for buildings, transport, consumption of goods and provision of public services account for more than half of China’s Ecological Footprint in 29 of China’s 31 provinces. In the municipalities of Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, and in the industrialized province of Shangdong this portion exceeds 65 percent.

“The analysis clearly indicated the importance of China moving quickly to a low carbon development model and the crucial role that will be played by energy efficiency, cleaner energy and the push to sustainable cities,” Leape said.

There are clear differences between rural and urban areas, primarily due to income gaps and consequent variations in consumption and energy utilization.

"Crucial role that will be played by energy efficiency, cleaner energy and the push to sustainable cities."

The analysis suggests that for provinces where per capita GDP exceeds RMB 30,000 (approximately US$ 4,500), Ecological Footprint increases in parallel. In China high-income segments of population are overwhelmingly located in cities, and Ecological Footprint of cities is 1.4 to 2.5 times greater than rural areas.

In 2008 Beijing had the greatest footprint per person and Yunnan has the smallest. Between 1985 and 2008 Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangdong and Chongqing have seen the greatest overall growth in their footprint per person.

There are, however, promising signs of China’s attempt to achieve sustainable development. The rate of increase in Ecological Footprint has slowed down in most Chinese provinces during 2005-2008 in comparison to 2000-2005. In Beijing, this trend is attributed to a more stable rate of urbanization, together with energy conservation measures and to the transition from a manufacturing to a service economy.

“Today China’s global influence is greater than at any time in recent history and by reducing pressure on natural resources through better management and increased efficiency, the country can play an important role in sustaining the global environment while gaining competitiveness,” Leape said.

Download: China Ecological Footprint Report 2010 - English 1.84 MB pdf