China unveils emissions targets ahead of Copenhagen

The government in China says it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 40 and 45 per cent by the year 2020, relative to 2005 levels.



The announcement comes two weeks before a global summit on climate change in Copenhagen.



Carbon intensity, China\'s preferred measurement, is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of Gross Domestic Product.



Sources say it will be at least a couple of decades before China\'s emissions peak, so it’s likely to remain the largest polluter for some time to come.



Greenhouse gas emissions in China have not been rising as fast as its economy has been growing.



The Copenhagen UN summit, December 7 to 18, aims to draw up a treaty to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.