CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in Beijing and surrounding provinces suggest energy efficiency is improving in the region, researchers say.
The six-year study was conducted by atmospheric scientists and environmental engineers from Harvard University and Beijing's Tsinghua University to measure combustion efficiency, a component of overall energy efficiency, a Harvard release said.
The researchers say their findings are consistent with official Chinese government statistics and could bolster China's credibility during international negotiations on the country's commitments to combating climate change.
"The data indicate a trend toward cleaner, more efficient combustion in the Beijing region over several years leading up to the 2008 Olympics," J. William Munger, of Harvard's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences said, "and as far as we can tell so far, these gains have been maintained since the Olympics."
China's government instituted particularly strict controls on pollution in advance of the Olympics.
The Harvard/Beijing measurements give the most detailed account of carbon emissions for a specific urbanized and industrialized region of China to date, the Harvard release said.
