On Wednesday, the Vice Minister of Construction
said at a press conference in Beijing that it is imperative for
China to develop energy efficient and green buildings to pursue
sustainable development.
Qiu Baoxing said growth of industry and
consumption, and rapid urbanization in particular, put enormous
pressure on energy and economic resources.?
“We must be reminded that energy, land, water and
material resources face serious shortages, yet are used wastefully
and carelessly, leading to increasingly severe environmental
pollution,” Qiu added.?
Ninety percent of verified deposits of fossil
energy sources in China comprise coal mines, yet their per capita
volume is only half of the world’s average.
Per capita deposit volumes of oil and natural gas are only 11 and
4.5 percent of the world averages respectively. In contrast, the
energy consumed per unit of construction area is more than two to
three times that in developed countries.?
The per capita amounts of arable land and water
resources are only one-third and one-fourth the world averages.
However, production of solid clay bricks damages 120,000 mu
(8,000 hectares) of productive agricultural land every
year.
Compared with developed countries, steel
consumption level is 10-25 percent higher, and 80 kilograms more of
cement is needed for mixing one cubic meter of concrete. The amount
of water needed for flushing toilets is more than 30 percent
higher, and the waste water reuse rate only 25 percent that of
developed countries.?
Energy efficient buildings meet standards during
their design and building processes. Green buildings are highly
efficient in utilizing resources throughout their life cycle and
minimizing their impact on the environment. They are also called
“eco-buildings” or “sustainable buildings.”
“Developing energy efficient and green buildings is
an important measure to promote new industrialization featuring
extensive use of state-of-the-art technologies, low levels of
consumption, less environmental pollution, and dynamic and
productive human resources,” Qiu said.
The Design Standards for Energy Efficient
Residential Buildings in the Northern Area enforced in 1986 marked
the beginning of work promoting energy efficiency in
buildings.
Nearly 20 years of efforts have resulted in remarkable progress and
achievement. In the meantime, with the spread of sustainable
development concepts across the globe, green building has also been
gradually accepted in China.?
Qiu introduced efforts such as conducting research
into key technologies, setting up the “National Green Building
Innovation Award,” and piloting technologies in public buildings,
library buildings in higher learning institutions, urban
residential areas and rural houses.
Nevertheless, there still exist a great deal of
challenges in pushing the development of energy efficient and green
buildings forward.?
Society as a whole has not fully understood the
importance of promoting the development of energy efficient and
green buildings, and lacks awareness of them.
There are also no: policy incentives to guide and
support the development of energy efficient and green buildings;
workable regulations that could make all stakeholders save
resources and protect the environment; comprehensive criteria for
resource efficiency and environmental protection in buildings; or
effective administrative supervision and regulation systems.
Qiu listed objectives compiled by his ministry in
collaboration with other relevant departments to tackle current
problems:
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Setting up and improving the policy and regulatory framework for
the development of energy efficient and green buildings;
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Developing technical standards for energy efficient and green
buildings;
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Developing effective administrative supervision and regulation
systems for the development of energy efficient and green
buildings;
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Promoting international exchange and cooperation; and
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Intensifying training and publicity campaigns.
（China.org.cn February 24, 2005）