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June 10, 2013
In China, Worsening Pollution or Sustainable Development?
by Robert Kropp
The 2013 report by the China Greentech Initiative warns that despite increasing investment in
cleantech, China continues to be plagued by severe environmental problems.
SocialFunds.com --
China's 12th Five-Year Plan gained international notice by establishing the nation's first binding
emissions reduction goals. The recently published China Greentech Report 2013, summarizing the target
as reducing carbon intensity to 17% below 2010 levels by 2015, states, "The government is trying to
meet these targets through investments in solar, wind, coal, oil and hydro power generation."
However, "Despite its ambitious
targets, at the start of 2013, China remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, consumes more
coal than the rest of the countries of the world combined and is contending with continuing
incidents of severe pollution," the report continues. "A new approach is needed to accelerate
progress and transition to a more sustainable model of development."
Nevertheless, the
China Greentech Initiative (CGTI) finds transformational opportunities for a new approach to
sustainability, by combining the emissions reduction targets of the 12th Five-Year Plan with
"collaboration along energy value chains to accelerate deployment of cleaner technologies and
enhance energy efficiency." The report makes the following recommendations:
� Meet or
exceed non-fossil fuel targets;
� Leverage shale gas resources and global expertise;
�
Promote efficient energy use;
� Accelerate development of a smarter grid; and
�
Encourage innovation and transparency across energy value chains.
Aware of the fact that
in 2012, emerging markets made up more than half of the global gross domestic product (GDP) for the
first time, global investors have signed onto an Investor Statement on
Sustainability Reporting in Emerging Markets, which calls for "robust sustainability reporting"
that "will be correspondingly rewarded by the market." The China Greentech Report devotes a
significant portion of its 148 pages to the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR),
observing that risk management is of especial importance since China mandated last year that all
government-owned enterprises produce sustainability reports.
A 2012 survey
of investors by EIRIS found that the majority of investors in emerging markets focus on Chinese
companies, and not only because of the size of the nation's economy; investor confidence has been
bolstered by greater attention to sustainability issues by China, as well as the changes to listing
rules that encourage better environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) disclosure by
companies.
And in its final report, the Emerging Markets Disclosure Project
(EMDP) of US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and
Responsible Investment observed that global awareness of corporate sustainability reporting in
emerging markets had grown considerably since the Project's launch in 2008.
Additional
primary drivers for the uptake of sustainability by companies in China are cost reduction and
revenue growth, the China Greentech Report continues.
"Investors, in particular global
investors, are now frequently taking a company's sustainability strategy into account when making
investment decisions," the report adds.
"If China is to achieve its aim of reducing the
environmental impact of rapid development, companies must play their part," the report concludes.
"Striking the right balance between economic, social and environmental interests is likely to
become an increasing preoccupation for China's leadership, citizens and businesses."
©
SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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