Last month, Premier Wen Jiabao presided over a State Council executive meeting on energy conservation and emissions reduction, where it was agreed that energy saving was the common responsibility for all Chinese and the promotion of energy-efficient lifestyles was imperative.

The concepts of energy conservation and environmental protection have begun to sink into public awareness, notably after top government leaders were photographed in short-sleeved shirts, instead of suits, last summer.

On Wednesday, 100,000 wrist bands embroidered with eight Chinese characters meaning "energy conservation and emissions reduction -- actions by all people" were given to Olympic volunteers to raise pubic awareness.

"When more people see energy conservation and environment protection as part of their lifestyles, the efforts will pay off greatly," says Yunnan provincial government energy conservation official Ma Liangju.

In Tianjin to the north, 100,000 college students and volunteers helped collect rubbish along the Haihe River. Senior citizens in the northeast Liaoning Province handed out fabric shopping bags. In the southwest city of Kunming, college students campaigned against disposable chopsticks.

Businesses are acting too. China Mobile, China's biggest mobile telecommunications company, has begun a "green packaging" scheme, aiming to cut consumption of timber by 57,000 cubic meters a year and fuel oil by 1.37 million liters, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 120,000 tons.

The government wants to cut the energy intensity index (measured by energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP) by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010, or 4 percent a year, and pollutants discharges by 10 percent by 2010.

The government has allocated 41.8 billion yuan to the cause this year.

But, says Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), only a quarter of the goals were met in the past two years. To achieve the 2010 goals, the energy intensity index should be cut more than 5 percent on each of the next three years -- an arduous task.

In the second half, the government will continue the accountability system for energy conservation, step up efforts to phase out inefficient production, and push forward the major energy conservation and emissions reduction projects.

Last month, the NDRC revealed that seven of the China's 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions failed to meet annual energy conservation targets.

Xie said the leadership of the local governments would be called to account for their failures.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2008)