China cuts consumption

BEIJING, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- China's energy consumption decreased during the first three quarters of 2007.

A senior economic planning official said that per unit of gross domestic product, consumption has dropped 3 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters.

The emission of main pollutants like sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand also fell during the period between January and September, said Xie Zhenhua, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.

China has promised to cut the energy consumption by 20 percent and major pollutants emissions by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010. During the three quarters, sulfur dioxide emissions fell 1.81 percent and the COD, a measure of water pollution, dropped 0.28 percent, said the State Environmental Protection Administration.

"Energy saving and pollution reduction efforts are starting to yield results, but the situation is still grave, " Xie said.

He reiterated that the nation would take all necessary administrative measures to reach the country's targets. To achieve the goal, China has pushed companies to eliminate outdated production facilities and allocated funds to encourage technological innovation.