ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE BRIEF: CHINA'S AMBITIOUS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY POLICIES LIKELY TO FALL SHORT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06530721
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2018
• Case Number: F-2016-00405
• Publication Date: January 21, 2010

Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C06530721
Tor''SECRET
Special Analysis
Published online on 21 January 2010
Economic Intelligence Brief: China's Ambitious Alternative
Energy Policies Likely To Fall Short
OFF/CE OF ASIAN PACIFIC LATIN AMERICAN AND AFRICAN ANALYSIS
China's abundant coal supply and its
difficulties developing alternative energy
sources mean coal will remain the country's
primary source of energy through 2020.
Chinese leaders publicly say they recognize that
coal use damages the environment but must
balance sustained economic growth�a
cornerstone of Communist Party legitimacy�with
public demand to clean up the environment,
according to Chinese media.
China is the world's largest coal user�it produced
2.7 billion metric tons of coal in 2008, about 40
percent of the world total, to meet 70 percent of its
total energy needs. In 2007, it surpassed the US
to become the largest emitter of greenhouse
gases.
Ambitious Targets for Alternative Energy
Nationwide but
unconnected demonstrations in 2004-05
heightened Chinese leaders' anxiety that
polluted water and air ultimately could
destabilize China despite economic gains,
and growing oil
imports leave it vulnerable to supply
disruptions.
� Beijing has announced targets for specific
types of alternative energy sources, such as
increasing wind capacity to 100 gigawatts
(GW) and solar capacity to 1.8 GW by 2020,
which combined would account for 12
percent of China's current capacity. Wind
capacity was about 16 GW last year, and
solar capacity was negligible.
� Premier Wen Jiabao last month told the UN
Climate Change Conference that China's
renewable energy use increased by an
annual average of about 15 percent between
2005 and 2008, according to Chinese media.
China has
adopted regulations and policies to encourage
alternative energy use. Beijing is supporting
these policies with money from its economic
stimulus and sector-specific support packages, as
well as new financing initiatives.
Tor SECRET
b)(3)
(I').?"
D;)
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C06530721
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C06530721
Alternative Approach to Dealing With Climate Change
ey wildcard� - �
� focus on .Mitigatingqt.
-:
iforts
are falling 4-4 climate-, chPn..90- such .,,,,-
in shorLi- s
r 0
� k'a;uni16t0-a
eoengineering solution
shooting sulfur particles into th
neiri7ru I
`e'r7str,it9' kin
�
tried to manipulateth�nvironment before and
mbitious plans that led '
renikiteattiee,,thceor
na's weather modification
13 antiaircraft guns and 4,
he
same media
In December.2gFowitrshoesinthedensel
EJ'
opulated north eijig Iajched;Nil ion
Diversion Qc or,(60 re 'ti:N.P1Ort-',fr:omisoSithern7'rivers�-,
ron fertili4p
Pump liquid CO2
into rocks
Cloud seeding..
438419ID 1-10
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C06530721