Chinese five-year plan will be wake-up call on climate, EU says

Europe's top climate official has said China's imminent five-year plan, expected to be brimming with environmental and energy initiatives, will serve as a stark reminder of Europe's diminishing frontrunner status in the area.

Climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard made the comments in Brussels on Thursday (13 January), preparing the ground for a return to the debate on whether the EU should increase its CO2-cutting pledge for the coming decade from 20 to 30 percent, based on 1990 levels.

"I believe that many Europeans will be in for a surprise, not to talk about many Americans, when they see the next [Chinese] five-year plan," Ms Hedegaard told stakeholders at an event hosted by the Lisbon Council think-tank.

EUobserver / Chinese five-year plan will be wake-up call on climate, EU says