In Beijing, it's certainly trendy to talk about living the low-carbon lifestyle. However, it's more easily said than done. Individual people may have the best of intentions, but they'll get nowhere if city planners do not weigh in with comprehensive support. But the Chinese capital city is all set to lead the way for a low-carbon city of the future.

Xizhimen Station is one of the busiest subway stations in Beijing, because three separate lines meet at this point and many people need to get off if they want to change to another line. But passengers have to walk a long way if they want to transfer from one line to another. Many say this inconvenience has made them reluctant to use the subway.

A Beijing resident said, "It's troublesome to change lines here. You need to walk five to ten minutes."

A Beijing resident said, "We would like to use a greener means of transport. But it's just not convenient."

And this is just one tiny part of the problem for the Beijing municipal government, if it wants to make that transformation into a truly low-carbon city. But plans have begun, with the priority being to improve the public transport network.

Wang Fei, planner of BJ Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, said, "We are trying to realize "zero-transfer", giving residents more convenience. But the improvement involves many aspects. We must innovate."

In addition to upgrading public transport, efforts must also be made to design and construct energy-saving buildings. Improving facilities in some old residential communities can cut up to 50 percent of energy consumption.

A Beijing resident said, "We also want to save energy, but our buildings and related facilities need to be improved."

Wang Fei said, "Building a low-carbon city is a complex task which will take a long time. I believe that once city planning is complete, more policies will be released to support this campaign."

Beijing municipal government will make public its plan for a low-carbon city this month. But changes will be gradual and will be carried out over the next couple of years.