Corporate sector contributes to China's low-carbon targets

Realizing low-carbon production in the corporate sector is considered important to help China achieve its low-carbon targets.

In today's low-carbon series, Liu Ying takes a look at how the corporate sector can contribute to the goals.

This C7-D CPU is considered to be the world's first non-carbon computer chip. It was designed and made by VIA Technologies in 2005. Tom Hsu, VIA's Vice President, believes the power efficient chips can help bring environmentally friendly computers to a new level.

Tom Hsu, Vice President, VIA Technologies, said, "The number of computers in the world totals between 700 million to one billion. They produce about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. As the core of a computer, the CPU plays a very important role in the Green Computing concept. We believe the PC installed with our low-carbon and power efficient chips can save energy, by about 20 to 30 percent."

VIA is now a major chip supplier of global PC makers such as Lenovo, Samsung and HP. Through cooperation with international environmental organizations, the company has been purchasing carbon credits for the emissions of all chips it makes.

"The practice of Green Computing has made VIA Technologies a frontrunner in environmental protection, in the IT sector. Because China is a major carbon emitter, it needs more enterprises like VIA that can integrate it into their operational philosophy."

Greenpeace points out China's power generators need to do more to become more environmentally friendly.

Yang Ailun, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace China, said, "For the last few years, these companies have done a lot to tackle climate change in the past 3.5 years, the coal fire plants that closed in China is equal to the capacity used in Australia but still we have a big gap on reliance of coal."

Coal-fired power plants are main sources of carbon emissions and other pollutants. Yang Ailun says there are solutions to make it cleaner.

Yang Ailun, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace China, said, "There are two steps first, improve energy efficiency, second, renewable energy."

China is promising to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels. Achieving this target requires a tremendous effort by Chinese enterprises as responsible corporate citizens.