Deborah Seligsohn: Note to Secretary Clinton: China is Measuring its Way to Progress on Climate Change

New data should cheer Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her Chinese counterparts as they address climate change during her first visit to China as a representative of the new US administration. China's latest economic report shows some welcome strides toward controlling greenhouse gas emissions. With climate change one of Secretary Clinton's top priorities, China's approach is not only welcome news, it suggests the opportunity for using approaches from developing countries to help bridge the gap in international negotiations. As shown in the figure below, China and the U.S. together account for nearly 40% of the world's aggregate GHG emissions. If the world is to agree on a global climate treaty by December in Copenhagen, it is essential that China and the U.S. both be at the forefront of the negotiations. China, in its 11th 5-year plan , set targets to reduce national energy intensity -- the measure of energy used per unit of GDP -- by 20% in the five years between 2006 and the ... (link)