China calls for more energy conservation
Faced with rising energy prices and strained water supplies, China's State Council issued a notice that calls upon the country's industrial base to do its part in helping to conserve energy resources. The council asked major energy consuming industries such as iron and steel, coal, chemical and other similar heavy industries to make every effort to conserve energy. A majority of the companies in the aforementioned industries consume more than 10'000 tons of standard coal per year. The council's notice also suggests saving water for daily life, irrigation and industrial production; upgrading water-saving technologies and utilizing seawater; and further developing underground water resources. Furthermore, the notice states that regulations on industrial restructuring should be worked out as early as possible in order to develop resource-saving industrial projects. According to the document, the legal system on resource conservation needs improvement, the price structure of resources needs revision and the taxation polices should be reworked in such a way that encourages resource conservation.